One World
by Stellar Magic
Summary: In J.K. Rowling's first draft it wasn't Hagrid that found Harry Potter in Godric's Hollow, but a lowly dentist named Granger. What if he had? Harry Potter is brought before the muggle authorities, an apparent orphan. With Daniel Granger named the child's temporary guardian, he disappears into the muggle world. LittleBro!Harry, BigSis!Hermione. Not a HP/HG Ship. Canon Pairings.
1. Godric's Hallow

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

_Author's Note: Unlike Son of Prongs, which is designed to largely follow the canon stories quite closely, One World will play much looser with the original story. Having Hermione and Harry act as siblings fundamentally changes how Harry interacts with others, especially Ron. This causes something of a chain reaction in the story._

_Originally, I was going to have this as separate novel-length stories, but I quickly realized as I started plotting out the years in my head, that it would work better as a multi-part single continuous story since the climaxes shift around a bit. Each part is roughly a year in the life of our characters. Ironically, there are eight parts, not seven, as one of the reasons Hermione is so far ahead of everyone in her first year is fully explained... A September birthday gives her a leg up.  
_

_This story will be irregularly updated, as it is a fun diversion for me, and an interesting exercise as I attempt to match much of the story's style to Rowling's while going a completely different direction at times. She has a really unique voice that is just fun to write and mimic.  
_

_Also… I've done background research on a number of the subjects of this story for other works and will incorporate it as I see fit. After all Philosopher's Stones are cool things and Nicholas Flammel is a real historic person… and French. There's lots of other things which will be explained: Grindelwald's link to the World Wars, the Ministry of Magic's link to the muggle government, and some other amusing things I've stumbled on or thought about over the years. The explanation of some of these things will, hopefully, blow your minds._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** A Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Godric's Hallow

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Granger were well-educated members of the middle class, though they hardly gave that fact much thought as they drove along the road in their rather worn 1976 Saab. It wasn't something that mattered to the two of them. They weren't exactly the sort of people to become involved in anything mysterious or magical. In fact, most would find them amusingly mundane at first meeting them.

Of course, appearances can be deceiving, and fate has a tendency to amuse itself by casting average people into extraordinary circumstances.

It was late, nearly midnight as they drove into the outskirts of another sleepy village on the way to the M3 after their most recent dental conference visit and Mr. Granger's mind was focused on the troublesome case of Mr. Edwin Borger's wisdom teeth, which had begun to emerge from his jaw at the ripe old age of ninety.

A brilliant flash of light lit up the sky before them and Mr. Granger slammed on the brakes just as a large timber fell in the middle of the road. In the car seat behind them their toddler, the precocious two year old woke with a start and howled in fury.

"Bloody hell." Mr. Granger said as roof tiles fluttered down into the street and he gaped in shock. "Dear?"

"Shh… Hermione, it's alright." Mrs. Granger said as she twisted in her seat and tried to comfort the girl. "Calm down… Daniel, what was that?"

Mr. Daniel Granger shook his head nervously. "I don't know… dear." He stared out the windshield and gaped.

A cottage stood by the side of the road, half its roof blown away from some explosion. He put the car into park and swallowed. He could have sworn it hadn't been there before. "Dear…"

Mrs. Granger looked up. "Was… was that there before?"

"I don't know." He shut off the ignition. "We'll wait for the police, we're witnesses."

She nodded before the two parents froze in the car. Barely audible over the wind and creaking of the damage structure was a cry. A cry any parent with a heart would find unbearable, the wail of a child in distress.

"Dan…" Mrs. Granger said quietly.

He nodded and pushed open the door. "I hear it too… the glove box, there's a torch in the glove box."

Mrs. Granger pulled the torch out and handed it to him before glancing nervously around the street. "I… I've got a really bad feeling dear."

"Stay with Hermione." He said before thumbing on the torch and stepping from the car. Glass and bits of wood crunched beneath his feet as he walked toward the door. The brush of something in the bushes drew his beam and a rat with tattered fur scurried between the pickets before bolting into the street.

Dan swallowed. "Okay…" He stepped up to the door and it swung open with a slight push. His hand groped for a light switch and found none. "Hello?"

The child's wails overhead redoubled and Dan scowled, he swept his beam around the entryway and furrowed his brow. Then he froze as the beam landed on a pair of shoes. Daniel stared, his heart suddenly in his throat as he looked down at a dead body of a young man with round glasses, wild black hair and pale blue eyes. A stick of varnished wood lay in his hand and he had the strangest blank stare. Dan bent down to feel for a pulse then drew his hand back. He was cold and very clearly dead. "Oh bloody hell."

"Dan?" His wife called from the car.

Daniel Granger wished he'd listened to his wife when she pushed him to get one of those big new cellular phones for the car at that moment and swore under his breath. "Jean, stay back! We're definitely going to need to talk to the police."

He straightened up and glanced up toward the stairs where the child's cries were coming from. Slowly he stepped up the stairs, pushing aside fallen timber and refuse. Strange things were painted on the wall as he entered the first room he found. He could see a golden ball with glimmering wings, and swore they fluttered. There was a boy riding a broomstick looking as if he was chasing the ball.

An enormous hole had been blasted in the roof just beside the cot in the room, and he could see what looked like a black robe lying in a puddle before it. Bits of the roof covered the cot as he stepped toward it. Then he saw her.

A woman with bright red hair and green eyes that glittered like emeralds was staring unblinkingly up from the floor. Her front was covered in splinters from the explosion and he knew she was dead, from the look of it she'd died from whatever had ended her husband's life.

A sniffle came from the cot and Daniel cast his light on it. "Hello?" He pushed aside a pile of timbers and froze.

There, sitting in the center of the cot was a boy with his father's wild black hair and his mother's emerald eyes. Aside for a scratch shaped like a lightning bolt, he looked completely unharmed. Still his eyes were filled with tears and Daniel felt his heart break at the shell-shocked expression on the child. "Hello…" He said before reaching into the crib and pulling the child out with a blue blanket. He held the small boy to his chest and swallowed. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

The boy shook his head.

"What's your name?" Daniel asked and when the boy didn't respond added. "My name is Daniel Granger… what's yours?"

"'arry," the boy said.

"Harry?" Daniel asked and when the boy nodded, Dan smiled faintly. "Well then, it's nice to meet you." He carried the child down the stairs and felt him cling tightly to him as he saw the body of his father.

Daniel swallowed. "Jean!"

His wife looked up and stared at the child. "Dan… what, what did you find?"

"It's a mess… both his parents are dead, maybe hours ago from how cold they were." Daniel said as he handed the boy over to her. "We need to go to the police. I don't know why they haven't showed up yet."

Jean gaped at him for a moment before biting her lip. "His parents are gone?"

Daniel nodded as he pulled open the door and climbed behind the steering wheel. Jean held the boy as she sat down in the seat beside him. "Poor boy…" Jean said before carefully cradling the child.

He put the car into drive and quickly reversed heading back into the heart of the village. He didn't notice the giant of a man land just outside the cottage's picket fence holding a glowing old boot. His name was Rubeus Hagrid.

He looked up at the smashed remains of the cottage and immediately lost all thought of complaining about the impromptu mission for the Order. His jaw worked furiously as he stared at the remains of the cottage.

"Gallopin Gargoyles… Lily, James!" He headed for the door and crouched to peer inside as the rumble of a motorcycle echoed down the lane.

The giant looked up as an old motorcycle dropped from the sky with a thud and rumbled down the street. With a screech, the motorcycle came to a stop beside the cottage and the driver scrambled out.

He was a man with long curly hair, a small black moustache and lean features. His black eyes were wide with fear as he stared up at the smashed remains of the cottage. "James!" He called before running toward the door.

"Sirius." Hagrid grunted before pushing aside the door. Sirius scrambled past him and pulled a wand from his pocket.

"_Homenum Revelio,"_ Sirius stammered and swallowed as two red arrows appeared around him. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. "Damn you…" He growled before stepping from the doorway and lighting his wand. Sirius froze as the dim light lit the corpse of the boy's father. "Oh… James… not you, not you!" He howled as he knelt down beside the man. Then he looked up toward Hagrid. "Only two… only two?" He scrambled up the stairs and froze at the top. His gaze flicked across the nursery and the pile of debris that had been cast off the cot. "Harry? Where's Harry?"

"He ain't there?" Hagrid asked. "But… Dumbledore told me to come get him, bring him to Surrey."

"Surrey?" Sirius scowled before waving his wand again and swearing. "Someone's been here… besides us, they took Harry."

"Who?" Hagrid asked.

A siren echoed from the street and the two of them glanced out the hole as police closed in around the house. Sirius gaped. "But… the house has muggle repelling charms."

"Broke with the Fidelius I gather." Hagrid said before suddenly turning on Sirius. "Yeh! Yeh led him to them! Yeh were the Secret Keeper!"

"It wasn't me!" Sirius howled. "Where is Dumbledore? I need to talk to him…"

"I ain't gonna bring yeh to him Black, if yeh weren't the Secret Keeper who was?"

"Peter! Peter was the bloody traitor… oh God, this is all my bloody fault!" Sirius howled again and glanced back out the hole. "We need to leave. The muggles will swarm all over this place."

"Fine Black, lets go." Hagrid said before grabbing Sirius by the scruff of his neck.

For Mr. Granger, this trip had already turned really quite strange and heart wrenching. The boy that slept fitfully in his arms wrapped in the simple blue blanket had lost both his parents, and for a still rather new father the thought of what he'd seen in the house was like a strike to his gut.

Mrs. Granger hung up the phone from calling their clinic's office and sighed before turning toward him. The four of them were in the local constabulary office waiting for instructions, and while the small boy seemed to be comfortable sleeping in either their arms, he woke with a start and shudder whenever anyone else tried to hold him.

Perhaps the child had not seen many people outside his parents, or perhaps he was just shy, but something about the way he clung to the two of them tore at them as little Hermione watched her parents, her bushy brown hair going every which way as she looked between them.

"Daddy, what are we doing here?" She said with surprisingly articulated speech for a two year old.

"We're talking to the police so we can find out what to do about young Harry." Mr. Granger said before smiling faintly at his daughter.

"Can't we take him to his mum and dad?" She asked before peeking at the boy in his arms. "What's that?"

"A scratch sweetie." Mr. Granger said before brushing the boy's bangs over the lightning shape scar. "Just a scratch."

"It looks like lightning, did lightning hit him daddy?" The girl asked quickly and Mr. Granger grinned at his daughter.

"I don't think so sweetie."

The door opened and a bobby stepped inside still clad in his bright yellow public safety vest and headed over to one of the desks. He tore the receiver from the phone and hurriedly dialed a number as the Grangers watched. "Village Clerk's office... yes, I need you to find the title to the land at the end of West End road, there's a cottage there and I need to know who owned it, right! Right! You say it's not in the system. Well check the files in the basement!" He snapped at the end and slammed the receiver down on the phone with a growl. "Idiot woman, I know what time it is." He glanced over at the couple with the child and sighed. "Mr. Granger?"

"Yes." Dan said as he rose carefully still cradling the child in his arms.

"I need to take your disposition..." The officer said before pulling out a pad of paper and clicking a pen.

"Right..." He stood for a moment and sighed. "I was driving along the West End road, heading for Devon... My wife and I were on our way back from a Conference in Winchester."

"Conference? What is your profession?" The bobby asked.

"My wife and I are dentists. I got a full ride for time in the Royal Navy. I'm a reserve now." He shrugged. "I met Jean, my wife, at school. We've been married for five years now."

The bobby nodded. "Alright, what time do you think it was?"

"Around midnight, maybe five or ten minutes till." Dan said still cradling the child. "I saw a bright green flash and timbers fell into the street. I stopped my car after swerving to avoid them and saw the cottage... it looked like shell or bomb had hit the roof. Boards and tiles everywhere and... We heard, wailing from inside."

"The boy's?" The bobby asked still scribbling his notes.

"Yes... I stepped out and went to find the child. I found a man, stone cold dead in the entryway and a woman upstairs. From their appearance I think they were his parents." Dan said as the child clung to him in his sleep. "I... I went ahead and pulled the boy from the rubble... it looked like something exploded next to his cot and the roof fell on it. It's a miracle he just got away with a scratch."

"Yes, well..." the bobby glanced at the boy."What did you do next?"

"Came here to report it." Dan sighed. "What'll happen now?"

"I don't know... but first we need to identify the child. Did he tell you his name?"

"Harry." Dan said quietly.

"Alright," the bobby said before underlining the name three times. "Harry."

The phone rang again and the bobby snatched it from the hook. "Inspector Williamson, that's right? James Potter, you say. Did you find any records of the man in the system? No... shite. Any references to a Harry Potter in the records? Check for birth certificates, anything? I'll have the coroner try and ID the Jane Doe." He set the phone down and sighed. "Damn."

"Nothing... what'll happen if you can't find any relatives of the boy?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"He'll be sent to child services and probably end up in a home," the bobby said quietly.

"A home? He's only a year old, at most." Mrs. Granger chewed her lip and pushed some of her wild and curly hair from her face. "Surely there's someplace or something..." Dan glanced at her as she quieted and swallowed as he recognized the intense expression on his wife's face as she stared at the boy. "What if..."

"Dear?" Dan swallowed.

"What if we took him, at least until you found relatives for him to stay with or..." Mrs. Granger glanced at Hermione who was staring at the boy curiously. "Could we adopt him?"

Dan gaped. "Jean? I thought... I thought you didn't want another one."

"I couldn't leave him with the police..." She said quietly and bent down before Hermione. "Sweetie... would you like a little brother?"

As the girl nodded, Dan felt himself swallowed and glance at the boy. "We... we'll need to move, the house isn't big enough for two of them."

"Mr. Granger..." The officer said quietly. "If you'll take guardianship of the boy, if... if you don't hear from us in thirty days it'd be safe to assume we haven't been able to find any relatives of the child, and he'll be yours to adopt. I'll see about getting the paperwork."

"But..." Dan glanced at his wife and daughter before letting out a sigh. "Fine."

No one in the Godric's Hollow police station that night would understand the relationship between the boy and the strange happenings of the following day. The fluttering of owls in broad daylight, the meteor shower over Kent, or the celebration of thousands of strange folks clad in robes and cloaks throughout the whole of the United Kingdom.

When they drove home the following morning they had no idea that a desperate search was going on around them for Harry, the small boy who Hermione had taken to fuss over like a little doll, or that there were toasts being made to Harry Potter's sacrifice and the end of a dark wizard called You-Know-Who.

For Sirius Black, it was a personal struggle against two violently divergent desires. One was a desperate need to hunt down the rat who had betrayed his best friend and the other being a feral desire to find his godson. As he sat in the familiar chair across from the desk of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the man was on the verge of tears.

Across from him was a wizard who looked every part the muggle image, his beard was long and ghostly white and he wore robes of midnight blue decorated with half moons and stars. A cap topped his head and he wore a set of half-moon glasses over which he peered at Sirius.

"Young Harry Potter must be found... while the rumors circulating the wizarding world talk of his heroic sacrifice. My instruments indicate that the boy is not dead." He glanced at Hagrid who was standing beside the distraught Black then turned to Minerva McGonagall. "Nor is Lord Voldemort."

"Can you detect his location?" Minerva asked quietly.

"No," Albus said quietly. "My attempts as scrying have failed, perhaps he is under wards or other protections, though if he survived by the means I believe it may be only a byproduct." He glanced at Sirius. "Either way, we must clean up the mess at Godric's Hollow. The muggle authorities are no doubt desperately trying to discover how a cottage appeared in the middle of their town. Bathilda has told me that they have been removing bags of evidence from the home and are being very thorough with their search. We cannot allow our world to be revealed at this juncture. Sirius and Minerva, I want you to go to Godric's Hollow, recover what you can, obliviate the memories of the muggle police and see if you can find anything to point yourself in the direction of the young Harry."

"Yes headmaster." Minerva said quietly as Sirius nodded dumbly and stumbled to his feet. After a moment, he walked to the fireplace and the flames shot up, burning bright green before the two of them stepped through.

Sirius stumbled out of the floo into the middle of the Three-Broomsticks as Minerva stepped gracefully up beside him. She glared down at him as he shakily clambered upright.

"Sirius! How are you?" Madam Rosemerta, the barkeep shouted. "Can I get you something?"

The Three Broomsticks was packed with patrons and revelers. Sirius glanced around and glared at the barkeep. "Nothing, just passing through…" He growled out.

One of the nearest patrons turned to him, "What's wrong with you Black?"

"What's wrong? My best friend is dead!" He snapped back and ran a hand through his wild hair before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "It's all my bloody fault."

"Sirius…" Minerva said quietly as the eyes of the crowd were on him. Sirius turned toward her, and faltered under her stern gaze.

"I asked them to make Pettigrew the Secret Keeper. I may as well have led Moldyshorts there myself." He gasped for breath as Minerva's stern expression melted. "I need to find Harry, I owe them that much... then I'll find Peter and kill the son of a bitch."

"Sirius... let's find Harry first." Minerva said before glancing around the celebration and giving a sniff of disapproval. "Celebrations..."

"There's nothing to celebrate." Sirius growled before nodding to Minerva. "Let's get out of here."

Spinning once, he disappeared with a pop of displace air and reappeared in the center of Godric's Hollow. A moment later, Minerva appeared beside him and waved her wand transfiguring her clothes into something resembling a muggle's choice of clothes.

Sirius headed down the street gripping his wand, it was time to get to work. After going around a hundred yards, they found the house.

It was worse seeing the damage in the morning light, the smashed second story stood out in his mind as he glanced at the yellow tape the muggles had drawn around the home and the two uniformed officers talking in low whispers as the approached.

"Robert, I don't get it either, I could have sworn there wasn't a cottage here... and I've lived here all my life." The older of the two police said under his breath. "The investigators are all asking questions about it and I can't tell them a straight answer..."

Sirius glanced to the side and saw Minerva morph from the stern faced professor into a thin tabby cat. A tabby that had rather distinctive markings around its eyes that reminded him of her spectacles. The cat slipped through the picket fence and into the house as Sirius watched.

Then he glanced back at the two police and took a deep breath before shoving his wand out of sight beneath his cloak. Perhaps all those years taking Muggle Studies to piss off mum would bear some fruit, he thought to himself.

"Morning officers." He said.

"Hello." The younger of the two said before stepping toward him, staying on their side of the yellow police line. "I don't remember seeing you around, you new in town?"

"Nah... Just passing through. What happened? Looks almost like an explosion went off." Sirius asked after looking up at the house for a moment.

"Don't know... haven't found any cause for the blast, some dentist from Devon or something reported a green flash last night when he was driving through." The officer shrugged. "Green like a firework or something, you know."

"Really?" Sirius said before chewing his lip. Green spell fire was a sure sign of a killing curse being used, but an explosion? That was unusual. He felt his gut turn cold as he thought about it. "What else?"

"Well... the dentist see... he went in and found a little boy inside, bout one or something and took him to the police station with him to report it. I think the chief helped him with some paperwork to be the kid's temporary guardian till some relatives could be found. The lad's parents... well, they're at the coroner's office, both stone cold dead. I've never seen anything like it, not even a scratch on one of em." The policeman shrugged. "We've been finding weird stuff in the house, taking it to station... something really strange about this place. It wasn't here yesterday, like something out of a fantasy novel or kids story..."

"You don't say." Sirius said as he tightened his grip on the wand and focused on the two of them. "Well... that is strange."

"Yeah..." the policeman glanced at his partner." Don't know what all to do about it... only thing we found was a deed to the house on file, but not in the computer system, they just started using. Very strange you know."

"Very." Sirius twisted the wand in his hand and whispered _"Obliviate."_ The man's eyes turned cloudy for a minute before Sirius flicked his wand toward the second partner. _"Obliviate."_

"Now... neither of you remember anything odd about this house or its location." Sirius grunted before banishing the police line and striding toward the house. He lifted his wand and began to cast a muggle repelling charm over the home. When he finished he stepped into the house and swallowed. "Minerva..."

The old professor appeared at the top of the stairwell, her normally stern mask shattered as tears had begun to run down her cheeks. She swallowed from where she stood and shook her head. "Oh God Sirius... it's horrible. I did a trace charm... three killing curses in the house... one by the door, two up here by the cot."

Sirius nodded as he climbed up the stairs. "I didn't have time to... three you said? But... the policeman said a dentist pulled the boy from the rubble. Harry... couldn't have survived, could he?"

"I do not know... Albus said the boy was alive from his instruments but." Minerva took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Lily and James... could they have found some way to block the curse?"

"I don't know..." Sirius said as he glanced around the room. "I restored the muggle repelling charm." He glanced around the room felt a tear roll down his cheek as he saw a small toy broom in the corner, apparently untouched. He walked over and picked it up gingerly. "I gave Harry this..." He said quietly before turning to Minerva. "Three months ago, on his birthday."

"You... you can return it to him, once we find the boy." Minerva said before heading down the stairs. "Did you find out where the muggles took their bodies?"

"The coroner's office apparently." Sirius said quietly. "Minerva, they've been taking things from the house... as evidence. 'Strange things' the officer said. If it could lead back to our world..."

"We'll have to recover them." Minerva said before taking a deep breath. "Albus would say it was more important than their bodies."

"I know... but we'll get them to." Sirius said as he headed back out onto the street. "We'll go to the police office first then."

It wasn't a long walk to the police station, and as the two of them stepped inside Sirius felt strangely at home with the cubicles full of papers and officers grabbing at phones. After a moment, he realized that replacing a few things in his mind with their magical equivalents and he was standing in the village's Auror office. He saw that only two officers were on duty and guessed that a town like Godric's Hollow didn't require a large force.

"I'm sorry. It's been a long night. Can I help you?" The officer behind the desk asked.

"I think so..." Sirius said as he leaned against the cubical. "I have some information about that boy you found last night."

The officer's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah... have you had any luck identifying the parents?" Sirius asked conversationally.

"Unfortunately not... considering the deed we found in the clerk's office we've identified the John Doe as a Mr. James Potter, but we can't confirm it... still no clue on his wife. It's like the pair never bothered with a driving license or government paperwork at all." The officer rubbed his temples. "The dentist that found him signed papers to be the boy's temporary guardian."

As Sirius talked to the officer Minerva slipped behind the desks in the form of a cat and began to explore the office.

"Anything unusual about the boy?" Sirius asked.

The officer shook his head. "Nothing really... he had a scratch from the debris that fell on him... shaped like a lightning bolt but beside that, not really anything springs to mind."

"Thank you." Sirius said before lifting his wand. _"Obliviate!"_

The officer's eyes went cloudy before Minerva transformed and obliviated the second policeman on duty. Scowling to herself, she began to sort through the papers looking for anything about the case, any records.

Sirius leaned over the desk and found a muggle legal pad filled with notes on the case. He ripped out the relevant pages, folded them and stuffed them in a cloak pocket. "I got the detective's notes."

"Good... I think I found their official records and modified them." Minerva glanced around the office. "Is that the evidence room?"

Sirius nodded and pointed his wand at the lock. _"Alohomora."_ Then he pulled open the door. Minerva began to search shelves as Sirius pulled a clipboard from the wall and scanned it quickly. "According to this their case records, the evidence will be on shelf 13B."

Minerva nodded and pulled three large crates from the shelf and opened the boxes one at a time. Inside each were magical tomes, wizarding photos, and other clearly magical items. With a wave of her wand, she shrunk the boxes and pocketed them. "Now... the coroner's office."

Sirius nodded and headed out the door. He didn't notice that the last page of the legal pad he'd ripped the pages from held a telephone number and a name.

Miles away the Grangers were stepping up their drive with their newest addition to the family. The group slowly spread out through the two-bedroom house and Mr. Granger rolled out a sleeping bag for the boy. At that moment, he knew they'd have to move, but then Jean had already talked about moving to another town. She'd always said she'd liked Winchester.

As the small black haired boy snuggled against a pillow in the small cot, he had no idea that thousands were toasting his name in Wizarding Britain and a handful grieved for his parents. He did not know that Sirius Black would soon begin a desperate search for a Daniel Granger of Devon and come up empty for the next nine years.


	2. Canon Road

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

_Author's Note: Wow... First two reviews are going... "NO NOT CANON PAIRINGS!"_

_Please... While I can see the Hermione/Harry ship as a valid possibility in other works... this is about Harry being raised as a muggle by the Grangers. Instead of the Weasleys being his surrogate family, the Grangers are and have been for ten years before he goes to Hogwarts. Doing HG/HP with this storyline is... icky. The words "Little Brother Harry" and "Big Sis Hermione" should have made it clear that wouldn't happen._

_What is with you guys hating on the Weasleys so much? Yeah, I know they're a bit too trusting of Dumbledore, and a bit overzealous... but lord, they're not bad people... not the best, but they're not bad or manipulative. I mean sometimes that sort of story can be amusing… Dumbledore as a bad guy can be too._

_I mean in the canon is Dumbledore evil? No... Is he a cold, calculating, logical, and occasionally amoral bastard? Yes! I can understand the hate he gets. _

_Ron's not worth the amount of hate that gets thrown his way. I think some people seem to have a belief that Ron must die or be evil for my HP/HG ship. Let's be honest, Ron is a prat and a git, there's no denying that at all, but he's no Death Eater in training either._

_So Ron will be rendered as the enormous prat that he is... don't you worry about that, Harry and Ron won't even be friends until the end of part three (In a Chapter called "Sisters"), mostly because of how much a prat Ron is to Hermione. I don't see him achieving best mate status for several years (if ever) if he keeps hurting Harry's 'sister' either._

_I tend to think that J.K. Rowling made it pretty clear that there was tension between Hermione and Ron all the way back in the Philosopher's Stone. I mean, you know Hermione had to have been seriously teased in primary school... bushy wild hair, overbite, bookworm? Yeah you're getting teased mercilessly in school, sorry._

_She's bunking with Lavender Brown and you just know she'd comment on her looks. So with all that teasing going on, who is it that reduces Hermione to crying in a bathroom?_

_RONALD WEASLEY! Why? It's actually obvious why. Hermione is 12, everyone else in her class is 11... And she has a crush on the redheaded boy. Said boy says she's a nightmare and has no friends... Time to cry in a toilet. Simple, obvious reasoning... Hermione may have a genius level IQ and an Eidetic Memory... but she's still a 12 year old girl with a crush._

_The only complaints I've had with Ginny Weasley are these... 1. She's part of Harry's surrogate family the Weasleys... a little squickly there, but then Harry's conception of family leaves a lot to be desired. 2. She's never really that well used by the canon stories... The romance in HBP comes a bit out of left field, sure there are little hints but Ginny is never allowed to develop beyond the romantic interest in HBP and the damsel in distress in CoS._

_If you actually look at her character however, you realize that if used more than as a romantic interest or damsel, she's much more palatable... She has apparent leadership skills, dueling skills (Hermione and Ron both perform worse than Ginny does in the Department of Mysteries… sad but read OoTP, both Ron and Hermione get incapacitated… Ginny gets away with a broken ankle), and a fiery impish persona. She's a fun character to write if you come from that angle._

_When I write romantic arcs, I prefer to have them be friends first before they become romantically involved. J.K. didn't really do that, it's actually probably the weakest bit of the books (which are great, don't get me wrong... would I write this if I didn't like them?) I want to keep the character's personalities close to the canon... Harry is probably the most divergent, but when you consider changing upbringings it has big affects.  
_

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Canon Road

* * *

A lot of things had changed for the Grangers in the nine years that'd passed. For one thing they no longer lived within Devon but at Number 47 Canon Road, at the edge of a rather sleepy suburb of Winchester called Weston Farm.

The family of four now had a three bedroom country home, complete with picket fence, hedge, and garage. In the sitting room on the mantle a large collection of photos had slowly accumulated showing a bushy haired girl riding a bicycle, reading a large book, or skimming through a family album. Hermione Granger had grown into a voraciously studious child, who chewed her way through the family library with tenacity akin to that of a terrier digging up a rabbit hole.

But she was not the only child shown on the mantel piece, oh no… there was equal space given to the second child. The messy haired boy was learning to ride a bicycle right alongside his adopted sister, and then there were pictures of him standing amongst a crowd of footballers beside Mr. Granger yelling at the top of his lungs to cheer Southampton at a game. There were other pictures as well, including a set showing the boy standing proud in a junior football club uniform.

But at that moment as the sunlight began to peek through the windows of the house young Harry slept soundly in his bed on the second floor. A soccer ball rolled lazily across the ground as the bushy haired girl that he called his sister slowly pushed open the door and peeked into the forbidden domain of her brother's room.

A slight smirk played across her face as she slipped inside and up to the side of Harry's bed then leapt upon it, bouncing on the cushions and waking Harry with a jolt.

"Harry! You know what today is?"

Harry blinked up at Hermione, "Umm… It's still September isn't it?"

Hermione nodded sagely.

"And there's only three days a year you wake me like this." Harry said and Hermione grinned. "So… Happy Birthday, Hermione!" Harry said before sitting up in bed and hugging her.

Hermione laughed and hugged him back. Her newly eleven-year-old frame was still taller than Harry with his knobby knees and thin body. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the door. "Come on, Mum is making pancakes!"

Harry grinned at her and rolled out of bed, kicking away the soccer ball after a moment. "What no presents?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous Harry. Of course there's presents, but if you don't want me to wait…" She grinned.

"No, you can't have them yet!" Harry laughed and chased her out of his room and down the stairs. As he scrambled into the dining room he saw Hermione leap behind her mother giggling furiously as she kept her between Harry and herself.

"Stop it you two or I'll spill these!" She yelled as the tray loaded with pancakes, bacon, and a few sausages toppled precariously overhead.

Immediately both Harry and Hermione froze and looked repentantly up at their mother who let out a long sigh and set the tray on the table just as Mr. Granger folded his morning paper and grumbled about the latest football scores.

A small pile of parcels was in the middle of the table wrapped in colorful paper, which Harry eyed brightly before sitting down across from Hermione while Mrs. Granger finished setting the table. It was September 19th, 1990, a and Hermione would have to hurry to tear through her packages in time for the school run.

"Happy Birthday." Mr. Granger said to Hermione as he began to fill his plate with sausages.

Mrs. Granger bit her lip before saying. "Dan, not too many… you're supposed to watch your cholesterol."

"Fine." He rolled two sausages back onto the tray and grumbled while Harry and Hermione giggled quietly. Then he glared at the children. "Oh, and you won't be nagging Harry to eat before his next game?"

Hermione blushed before scowling at her father. "I do not nag!"

"Yes you do." Harry said quietly.

"No I do not!"

"Well then, I guess I'll just take this back." Harry said before reaching for one of the presents in the pile.

Hermione snatched it and sat down with a smirk on her face. "Did you get me a book?"

"Maybe…" Harry harrumphed.

Hermione tore open the wrapping paper and a large book fell into his lap. She stared at the title and smiled. "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho."

"I thought you might like it…" Harry said. "But… can I read it when you're done?"

"When I'm done you can read it Harry." Hermione said with a smirk before being hugged by her brother. "But not before!"

"Then read it soon, please?" Harry said before releasing her and running back to his chair.

Soon Hermione had unwrapped her presents, and grinned at the various gifts that had been revealed. Her father had given her a book on chemistry. Her mother had given her some new clothes including a sweater, jeans, and a skirt.

It wasn't exactly an extravagant assortment of gifts, as her parents weren't necessarily the sort to rain a vast array of presents down on their children, but Hermione was happy even with those modest gifts. Harry was more than happy when she shared them with him, since he knew that without the two older Grangers he could very well be in a home for orphans.

He and his sister weren't exactly the most popular lot in school. She was considered a bookworm, and while Harry loved sports, his connection with the bushy haired buck-toothed girl had insured that he'd received a certain level of disdain from others. It was something that wasn't helped by how he'd gotten into fights defending her. Nor was it helped by how sometimes strange things happened around the two of them.

On one occasion, the pair had come home with a note from their Headmistress informing their parents how they'd been found on the roof of the building. Harry had tried to tell them that he and Hermione had jumped after fleeing a group of local bullies, but that explanation hadn't really helped. It was over twenty feet up to get to the roof.

Then there was the incident where a lunch tray had mysteriously leapt from a table and dumped itself over the head of John Wilcox, a large and aggressive boy that targeted Hermione one afternoon. Another time Hermione had been upset and two books had hurled themselves from the bookcases at a girl who had mocked her in the library.

Strange things happened around them, and each time they did the two parents would look at each other and get a rather distinct look that made Harry worry. It was as though they believed that somehow these strange happenings were his fault, or that there was something about him that made them nervous.

Of course, when he was seven they had set him down and told them how they'd found him on Halloween six years earlier, his parents dead in the home and a massive explosion having torn apart the roof.

That night he had a nightmare involving a green flash of light and a woman screaming for the first time.

What he did not know was that several hundred miles to the north Minerva McGongall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, was skimming through her schedule. A single envelope appeared atop her desk with an address written in emerald green ink.

Every year it was her task to inform muggleborns of their status on their eleventh birthday, and this year was no exception. She was a bit surprised at how early into the school year that the first letter had appeared but paid it no heed. She read the address after a moment and sighed.

_Miss Hermione Jean Granger  
The Northern Bedroom,  
Number 47 Canon Road,  
Weston Farm, Winchester_

Then she glanced at her schedule, she knew that the girl would almost certainly be in school until this evening. Then she would visit the young witch. She wondered what sort of people her parents would be. Would they be supportive, or fearful? Would they be relieved that an explanation for their child's abilities had arrived?

Something pulled at the back of her mind, something about the name Granger, but she dismissed it almost immediately.

In Winchester, Harry and Hermione spent the day much like it was any other. They went to school, had lunch, and acted like siblings in their final year of primary school always do. When they came home, the two of them sat down at the kitchen table and started work on their homework.

Their parents were working late at the clinic, and even though it was Hermione's birthday, the girl was focused on her schoolwork before anything else. Her keen mind was constantly at work as she helped Harry through his maths.

Harry wasn't as smart as Hermione, but he was far from dumb. Hermione seemed to absorb knowledge like a sponge and file it away in her vast mind, for later perusal. She wasn't as good at spur of the moment thinking or the arts, aside for playing the piano, and was absolutely terrible in sports. Harry on the other hand was good in sports and enjoyed the odd creative projects his teachers sometimes assigned. Together they made a frightful team, as they'd demonstrated during the last science fair. Harry had been playing with magnets and their project had become a study on the acceleration of metal ball bearings through magnets. Harry did the experiments while Hermione wrote up the data and explained it.

Harry had just finished the last of his work while Hermione was on her second page of an essay explaining the water cycle when there was a knock at the door. Curious, Harry stood and walked to the door and peeped out.

A stern looking woman wearing an emerald green cloak and a black pointed hat stood just outside the door. She peered over her glasses at him for a moment and gave a faint smile. "Is Miss Granger here?"

"Uhh..."

"Who is it Harry?" Hermione asked from the dining room as Harry stood braced in the door looking up at the woman.

"Some woman, she wants to talk to you!" Harry yelled back.

"Can she wait? Mum and dad should be home soon." Hermione asked.

Harry looked nervously up at the stern looking woman. "Yeah... Umm, my parents don't want me err... us to talk to strangers... uhh... can you wait, they should be home any minute."

"That's quite alright, Mr. Granger." The woman said with a faint smile.

Harry giggled. "My name is Mr. Potter."

The woman froze and turned pale. "Your name is Harry Potter?"

"Yes." Harry said, looking rather confused at the woman. She seemed to waver for a long moment and then promptly fainted.

Harry just stared at the limp looking woman for a long moment before turning back from the door. "HERMIONE! SHE FAINTED!" He yelled.

"WHAT?" Hermione said before running over to the door and looking down at the older looking woman. "Harry... what did you do?" She asked.

"Nothin' sis!" Harry said immediately. "She asked if I was Harry Potter, and when I said yes... she fainted."

Hermione stared at him before running to the bathroom and rummaging in medicine cabinets. A moment later she returned with a set of smelling salts and knelt over the woman. Her eyes fluttered when she waved them under her nose and she suddenly gasped for breath. The woman stared up at them, looking rather flustered.

Harry felt her gaze flick across his round glasses and up to his hairline where the lightning bolt-shaped scar he'd had for as long as he remembered was barely hidden behind his wild black hair.

"Merlin..." The woman breathed and stared at Hermione after a moment. "You... you must be Miss Granger then." She said as Hermione helped the older woman to her feet.

"Yes, my name is Hermione Granger." She said after cocking her head curiously at the woman. "Who... who are you?"

The woman seemed flustered and Hermione and Harry stepped back as she drew a long stick from the folds of her robes and spun away from the house. A silvery white cat shot from end of the wand and raced into the distance as the two of them gaped at her.

The woman turned back to them and gave a faint smile. "My name is Professor McGongall, and it seems we have a lot to talk about Miss Granger."

"What was that?" Harry asked in barely a whisper as he glanced from where the silvery creature had ran off into the distance to the Professor.

"I will explain everything once your parents have arrived." McGongall said as she approached. "May I come in?"

Hermione nodded and Harry stood aside letting the stern woman in her emerald green cloak inside. The Professor glanced around the parlor for a moment before taking a seat in one of the stiff chairs that their father prefered and glanced around.

Hermione hurried to the kitchen and Harry heard the gas stove ignite and her hurridly filling a teapot. He slowly walked over to the kitchen table and put away his books, trying to puzzle out what had happened. Why had the strange woman fainted like that? Did it mean that she knew his biological parents?

Harry felt Hermione poke him in the side and jumped. "Mione?"

"Watch the kettle please... I'm almost done." She said before sitting at the table and resuming her work. Harry walked over to the stove and sighed as he heard the water begin to boil. He shut off the stove and fumbled for a tea service in the cabinets before carrying out to the small table before the couch.

"Done!" Hermione said and Harry heard her book snap shut. She hurried over to him and helped with the tray before looking at the stern woman watching the two of them. "Professor... would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you Miss Granger."

As Hermione handed her a cup the door opened and their parents stepped inside, looking rather tired and worn out. Mr. Granger was grumbling about Edwin Borger again. "The man is almost one hundred years old Jean, you'd think he wouldn't care about a couple cavities at his age or wear dentures... I swear, his teeth are like that of a man half his age."

"Dear, calm down." Mrs. Granger said as she pulled off her coat and hung it from a rack in the entryway. When she turned and saw the Professor she arched an eyebrow and elbowed her husband. "Dan... we have company?"

"Really?" Mr. Granger said before peeking around the door and looking at the rather stern looking woman.

The Professor stood and offered her hand. "You must be Miss Granger's parents, my name is Professor McGongall."

Dan took her hand and shook it gingerly. "Charmed, ma'am... what can we do for you?" He asked.

"Actually, it's what I'm here to offer your daughter." She pulled a note made of what looked like parchment from her cloak and passed it to Hermione, who glanced at it in confusion. "I'm the deputy headmistress of a rather unique boarding school. A school that will offer admission to Miss Granger next year."

Hermione curiously tore open the envelope and started to read, her eyes widening as she did. "Is... is this a joke?"

"No, Miss Granger, it is no joke." The Professor said.

"What?" Dan asked as he looked between the Professor and his daughter.

"Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger, there is no easy way to say this, but the school I represent, is a school of magic." McGongall said.

"Magic?" Mrs. Granger said sounding shocked as Hermione began to read aloud.

_"Dear Hermione Jean Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor McGongall will answer any questions you have about the school and the world which you are about to join._

_Term begins September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st."_

Harry gaped at her for a long moment then swallowed. "Sis... you're a witch?"

Hermione turned bright red and glared at him before Professor McGongall nodded. "Yes, Miss Granger, you are a witch... the first in your family."

"But... but... it's not possible." Hermione muttered.

The Grangers glanced at each other for a long moment as if engrossed in a silent conversation. A moment later they turned to the Professor and Mr. Granger spoke. "Can you prove any of this isn't some enormous joke."

McGongall nodded and pulled the length of wood from her pocket and flicked it toward the teapot. Immediately it transformed into a cat that sat stiffly on the metal tray and meowed. Then she changed it back with another flick of the wrist.

"Magic..." Mr. Granger's gaze flicked toward the wand in her hand.

"I take it you've seen a wand before, Mr. Granger?" McGongall asked.

"Once, a long time ago," He said quietly before glancing at Harry. "I'm not sure..."

"Dad?" Harry asked. "What is it?"

"The last time I saw a wand, it was at Godric's Hollow." He said quietly and turned to McGongall. "Professor McGongall... are you certain Hermione is a witch? Could you be mistaken?"

She nodded. "I am certain, if you need more proof..." McGongall turned to Hermione and held her wand toward her, handle first. "Just give it a wave."

Gingerly Hermione took the wood instrument and waved it once. Instantly a book shot from the bookcase behind them and she jumped. Minerva smiled faintly. "That's quite all right Miss Granger, you've not had any training yet..." She plucked her wand from Hermione's grasp. "Such unpredictable reactions are common with incompatible or unwon wands." She glanced at the two adults. "I'm sure you've had to deal with... strange things happening at times. Unexplainable happenings..."

"Yes, but we thought it was Harry." Mrs. Granger said. "After how we found him, we thought he was most likely the cause."

"I am sure Mr. Potter has his share of blame." McGongall said. "The question is, do you want to come to the school... learn magic?"

Hermione bit her lip and glanced around the room at her parents before looking at Harry. "What about my brother?"

"Brother?"

"Harry." Hermione clarified. "Will he come too?"

McGongall nodded. "I am certain he will, both his parents were very competent wizards, Headboy and Headgirl in their day." She nodded to Harry. "If he wants to go, he can."

Mrs. Granger swallowed. "Professor... What about Harry? The police couldn't find any relatives of his or..."

"I'm afraid the police of Godric's Hollow never finished their investigation, the secrecy of our world is of paramount importance and measures were taken to stop the investigation." Professor McGongall said. "The police were obliviated, the house you saw hidden, and police records obliterated."

"Obliviated?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Memory charmed, they do not remembered anything from that day." McGongall said. "Mr. Potter does have living relatives, and a guardian assigned by his parent's will."

Harry saw his parent's pale. His mum said. "We... we didn't mean to abduct him!"

"Of course not, I doubt that his guardian would—"

"NO!" Harry shouted as he stood up. "I'm not leaving, they're my Mum and Dad!"

McGongall glanced at Harry and arched an eyebrow. "Mr. Potter?"

"No! I'm not leaving them!" Harry shouted. "They're my family."

McGongall sighed and relented. "I am sure your guardian will understand your desire to stay with them, perhaps a compromise..."

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and clung on. "I'm not going to leave."

"I understand, Mr. Potter." Professor McGongall said. "Your guardian has been searching for you for nine years... at least hear him out before making a decision."

Harry relented, but continued to mutter quietly about staying with his mum and dad. Outside the rumble of a motorcycle echoed and McGongall stood. "Just in time."

There was a knock at the door and McGongall's lips tightened to a white line as she headed toward the door. "Yes, after I met Mr. Potter I thought we'd have to discuss this." She headed for the door. "I contacted a former student of mine, who has direct interest in the situation." She pulled open a door and a man with curly hair, brown eyes, and a small moustache stepped inside. He was clad in a trench coat and seemed to freeze as he stepped through the threshold, his eyes locked on Harry.

"Minerva... Are you sure?" He asked. Then he stepped inside and took a long look at Harry, as if studying him. His eyes glinted for a moment before he gasped. "Merlin, it really is him."

Harry glanced at his parents looking confused as McGongall slowly led the man toward a chair. As he sat, he shook slightly as if in shock and she turned to face them. "Mr. Potter... this is Sirius Black. He was a close friend of your parents."

Harry stared at the man with his bushy mustache, curly black hair, and dark brown eyes. He swallowed nervously as the Professor sat down beside him. Harry tightened his grip on Hermione's hand.

She looked odd to Harry, with her emerald cloak and pointed hat. Something about her gave him the impression she was a strict woman, and someone that should not be crossed. He was torn from that train of thought when Sirius spoke.

"God, you look so much like James." Sirius finally said and let out a small breath. "But you've got her eyes... Lily's eyes."

Those words struck a chord in Harry, his adopted parents had told him how they'd assumed his father's name was James Potter, but had never learned the name of his mother. Now he knew, and he felt tears begin to fill his eyes. "You, you knew them?"

"Yeah... I was the best man at your mum and dad's wedding..." He fumbled with his coat pockets and drew out a photograph, holding it up to Harry.

A woman with bright red hair and a man with wild black hair stood together in formal wear like he'd never seen before. Besides the groom, he saw a man that must have been Sirius, albeit younger. The image moved and shifted like a short video as he watched, and saw his parents kiss. "It... it moves." He said quietly.

"Wizarding photos do." Sirius said as he sat back. "I've been looking for you for the last nine years Harry... we wizards don't interact much with muggles and we really don't know how to find people in your world." He frowned slightly. "I... I don't know how to say this."

Harry looked up at the man and saw tears in his eyes. "Mr. Black?"

He sniffed and looked away. "In... In your parent's will, they named me your guardian in case... in case anything happened to them." He took a deep breath and swallowed. "And now... I found you, and... You have two wonderful parents already, a sister even..." He glanced back at Harry. "I wanted to take you with me, back to our world but... you're happy here aren't you?"

"I... I'm sorry Mr. Black, but they're my family... I can't go with you."

Sirius nodded and wiped his eyes. "Oh Merlin, look at me crying over my Godson's good fortune."

"Maybe we can work out some visits." His dad suggested from behind Harry. "I'm sure he'd love to learn about his biological parents..."

Black's eyes seemed to light up and he smiled faintly. "That… That'd be great."

"Harry, what do you think?" His adopted father asked.

Harry glanced at the carpet, furrowing his brow in concentration. His mind was still swimming from all the shocks he'd heard from these two. He chewed his lip and glanced up at Sirius, seeing the man's eyes lighting up with hope Harry let out a slight smile. "I... I'd like that."

"There is more, I'm afraid... Mr. Potter's parent's deaths were caught up in the middle of important events in the Wizarding World." Professor McGongall said. "Occasionally evil wizards arise and for eleven years before your parent's death a war had torn our world apart. Your parents fought on the side of light, and attracted the attention of the enemy's leader."

"Oh come off it Minerva, don't beat around the bush..." Sirius took a deep breath. "Harry... in our world you're famous. Your parents didn't just up and die... that Halloween, the dark wizard came to your house and turned his wand on each of them... I was there shortly afterwards. Voldemort cast three killing curses, one downstairs... killing James." At this Sirius sniffed and dabbed at his eyes. "I'm sorry he was my best friend. Two were cast upstairs, one hit Lily... and... One hit you. No one knows why, but the curse... it didn't work on you Harry. It rebounded on its caster and killed that Dark Tosser. It ended the war in one strange occurrence. A lot of people think you'll be something special, stopping him like that. Dumbledore, one of the best wizards around, thinks it wasn't you but your mum... He thinks she gave her life to protect you, and her magic saved you even after she'd been killed."

Harry gaped at Sirius. "She... she died to save me?"

Sirius nodded. "She did, saved you... no one else has ever survived that curse. Voldemort wiped out whole families, Bones, the Prewitts, and others..."

Harry noticed that each time Sirius said Voldemort that McGongall seemed to shudder involuntarily. Black glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "Right, right... most in the Wizarding world don't say his name. They call him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. People are still scared even though he's been gone since that Halloween night."

"I'm famous... for that?" Harry said quietly. "I'm famous for my parent's dying? That's stupid."

"You're famous for surviving Harry. Most don't think about how you lost your parents... you're just The-Boy-Who-Lived to them." Sirius sighed.

"Harry... its okay." Hermione said as she squeezed his hand. "You're doing good, little brother."

Sirius smiled faintly at the two of them. "So... I guess McGongall convinced you that you want to go to Hogwarts?"

"Harry, Hermione... do you want to go?" Their mum asked quietly.

Harry glanced at Hermione who nodded once and smiled. He glanced at his parents. "Yeah... we want to go, Mum. We want to learn Magic."

"Why don't you stay for dinner, and we can talk about this... and visiting Mr. Black?" Mrs. Granger said.

Black smiled at that. "Thank you."


	3. Behind the Leaky Cauldron

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

_Author's Note: I removed the Hermione character tag from the story to appease the Harmonians that were upset by this not being the pairing, in other news…_

_Yes, Hermione is a bit different thanks to being Harry's de facto sister. She doesn't change as much as Harry does, as removing Harry from an abusive upbringing and giving him loving parents does much more than giving Hermione a brother._

_This chapter deals a lot with economics and finances (and has Harry nodding off in the middle of it XD) but I figure I'd like to put a couple things out there for your perusal._

_Harry Potter is worth quite a bit… but since the wizarding world operates in a rather old fashioned way, most of his wealth was tied up in property. The cottage at Godric's Hollow and the land the ancestral Potter home was built on (I assume it was destroyed during the first war) would put him amongst the wealthy by itself. Then there's the small mountain of galleons, sickles, and knuts in his vault._

_A million galleons takes up less room then you'd think. A little math, some basic calculations (assuming a galleon is about the same size and weight as the old guinea) tell me that a million galleons will fit in a five-foot by five-foot by five-foot cube. Now, look at that pile of galleons in the first movie… I mean, that's just galleons… the book says he's got mounds of all sorts of coin._

_Harry Potter – Cash on Hand? ~2 Million Galleons_

_With that as a 'calibration point' as it were… lets list some of the other wealthy families shall we?_

_Malfoy Family – Cash on Hand? ~7 Million Galleons (The bloody manor and dark arts artifacts are probably worth two or three times that in liquefiable assets)_

_Black Family – Cash on Hand? ~25 Million Galleons (Grimmauld Place alone is worth millions and millions… a townhouse in London with all those stories and bedrooms is worth a lot)_

_Then there comes the stupidity of the PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) and the five pound exchange rate. I make several assumptions… 1.) The Goblins know that 1/3__rd__ of an ounce of gold is worth much more than five pounds. 2.) The Ministry of Magic set the exchange rate between the galleon and the pound when either it would make the purebloods wealthier or a pound could get you 1/3__rd__ an ounce of gold. Then none of the pureblood elite bothered to check to see how much you could buy for a galleon in the wizarding world and a pound in the muggle world… as they're used to currency that's backed by precious metals._

_Ultimately this makes the purchasing power of the muggleborn and half-bloods that live in the muggle world significantly greater than the rest of the population… something that further upsets the pureblood elite, who don't understand why it's happening…_

_The reason the Grangers seem so stiff when you see them in Gringotts in the canon is because they're trying very hard not to laugh. They're dentists! They very much know the value of gold, they work with the stuff. Five pounds for a coin that's made of 1/3__rd__ an ounce of gold, awesome deal… say can you get me 1/3__rd__ an ounce of gold ingots for a fiver? I've got a couple dozen crowns for fillings to make._

_I've got to say, the easiest explanation for a lot of the things in Harry Potter is that the Ministry of Magic is stupid and the Muggle Government just lets them think they're in control._

_Also, the goblins are devious people and since the Goblet of Fire mentions Ludo Bagman's goblin creditors, I'm going to assume Gringotts is a bank that lends out money deposited by vault holders… so yes they do pay interest._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Behind the Leaky Cauldron

* * *

That night, Harry, Hermione, and their parents talked with the two magical people that had dropped into their lives. Mr. Black suggested that they meet that weekend in London, as there were a number of things that needed to be taken care of by him, and that he would show them the wizarding part of London hidden amongst the mundane.

For the two of them, it meant the rest of the week seemed to drag on for ages as their excitement built. By that Saturday morning, both of them were eager to get going and hastily ate their breakfast, packed up their savings and almost bolted for the 1988 Saab 900 sitting in the drive when Mr. Granger announced it was time to go.

The hour and a half drive down the M3 proved to be just as exhausting as it always was, and by the time the four of them parked near the intersection of Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road, it was clear that both Grangers were getting a bit testy with the excited pair in the back seats. Strangely, as Mr. Granger slugged the meter with a fifty pence piece a rumble echoed down the road and an old Triumph motorcycle pulled up beside them.

It wasn't until the man with his wild black hair removed the set of goggles that he'd pulled over his eyes that Harry recognized him. It was Mr. Black, grinning mischievously as he clambered off the bike. "Dan, Jean, Harry, Hermione..." He said as he nodded to each of them and opened his dark trenchcoat and stuffed the goggles into a pocket. "Glad you made it."

"Traffic was horrible, but then it always is on the M3." Dan said conversationally. "Your motorcycle, I honestly didn't expect a... well, a man like yourself to have one."

"Most don't..." Mr. Black said before flashing a smile. "Now... if you'll follow me. The entrance is charmed to look a bit dodgy to muggles, so don't trust your eyes." He pulled a few coins from his pocket and slugged the meter. "Wouldn't believe it, but somehow they found a squib to work as meter maid too... anyway, you see the 'abandoned' storefront across the road?"

"Yes..." Dan said as his wife squinted at the stores.

"That's the entrance... now, you two." He nodded to Hermione and Harry. "Look across the road, where Dan is looking. What do you see?"

"Umm... it looks like an old pub." Harry said.

Hermione nodded and pointed, "Look, there's a sign out front that says it's the Leaky Cauldron."

"Definitely magical..." Sirius said before grinning. "That's right. The entrance to the wizarding world in London is through there." He pulled a large leather briefcase from a tiny compartment hidden on the side of the motorbike. "Now, shall we? I'll show you the Ministry of Magic some other time."

"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Hermione and her mother asked.

"Yeah, they're a lot of idiots, unfortunately." Sirius said.

The Grangers and Harry followed him across the street and up the steps of the storefront. When Sirius held open the door the four of them stepped inside. Mrs. Granger gave a gasp as she looked around the pub and shook her head. "Have we gone back in time?"

Harry couldn't help but agree. For a pub it looked dark and shabby, there were a few wizen old wizards sitting in a corner playing chess drinking from wooden tankards. A witch that could have been a hundred sat chewing on a pipe as she skimmed a tattered paper which declared itself Transfiguration Today in bold lettering. The barkeep was quite bald and looked a bit like a weathered walnut.

"Alas, no... Though we do have things that can do that," Mr. Black said as he shut the door behind them and smiled. "Electricity and magic have a rather temperamental relationship at best, so most magical homes and buildings don't use electrical lighting or appliances." He slipped past them and nodded to the barkeeper. "Hello Tom, just passing through."

"Go right ahead..." The man behind the counter said with a toothless smile. "Not very busy today, not with school started and all..." He leaned over the counter and glanced at the Grangers. "My word, muggles... must be the first to get her Hogwarts letter. What are you doing with them Black, I thought McGongall handled all such things."

"Well, one of them is my godson." Sirius said with a faint smirk before waving them forward. "Right this way..."

He led them out into a tiny little walled in area behind the bar and pulled out his wand. "Now, watch... once you've got your own wand, you'll be the one tapping this out."

Hermione and Harry nodded before watching mesmerized as Sirius tapped a series of bricks with his wand. Suddenly one of them shook and wiggled and soon a whole load of them were shuddering before wiggling out of each other's way to create a great arch through which a cobblestone street stretched out before them.

Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped at that and Sirius grinned. "Welcome, to Diagon Alley, Magical England's biggest marketplace." He lead them forward and smirked as the two children stared at the various items on display. However it wasn't long before their stares brought up a question.

"Galleons, sickles, knuts?" Hermione asked after they'd passed an apothecary that filled the air with various strange smells. "Don't you use pounds?"

"Afraid not, the wizarding world operates on its own currency..." Sirius said as he passed a stand selling various novelty charms. "There's the gold galleon, which is worth five pounds. There are seventeen silver sickles to the galleon and twenty-nine bronze knuts to the sickle. You'll get used to it..."

Dan scoffed slightly at that, "Sounds like the bad old days my Grandfather talked about with the whole... guinea, pound, crown, half-crown, shillings, sovereign, florin... Wait, how much gold is in a galleon?"

"About a third of an ounce I think..." Mr. Black said with a shrug. "Or something like that, you'd have to ask the goblins."

"GOBLINS?" Mrs. Granger choked as Harry and Hermione glanced between their parents and Mr. Black.

Sirius turned to them and chewed his lip. "I didn't mention that? Goblins run our bank, Gringotts." He jerked his head toward a white limestone building that seemed to dominate the way ahead. "You'd have to be mad to try and steal from them."

Harry and Hermione followed Mr. Black to the steps of Gringotts and stopped as they saw a pair of short humanoid figures clad in uniforms of scarlet and gold that reminded the both of them vaguely of the vestments of a knight. Each held a long pike capped with a silver spear point that glittered in the dim light. Their smart faces were stoic and their ears were long and pointed, but Harry could feel their gaze follow them.

Nervously they followed Mr. Black past the guards into an entrance hall and to the front of a set of double doors. Here Black turned around and pointed over his shoulder. "Now, before we go inside... some information. Goblins are smart, you won't hear any pureblooded wizard admit it, but they basically run the whole magical economy. They coin our currency though the exchange rate with the muggle world is set by the Ministry of Magic. Many Goblins view wizards as being untrustworthy especially in the realm of finance. Gringotts is one of only two places in Magical England allowed to notarize contracts and legal agreements so it pays to be polite and respectful. They take security very seriously here."

"How seriously?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Well... I suggest you read the inscription on the doors." Sirius said as he pointed out the poem written onto the silver doors before them. Harry's eyes widened slightly as he began to read and Hermione paled.

Enter, stranger, but take heed  
'Of what awaits the sin of greed  
'For those who take, but do not earn,  
'Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
'So if you seek beneath our floors  
'A treasure that was never yours,  
'Thief, you have been warned, beware  
'Of finding more than treasure there.

"More than treasure..." Harry muttered.

Mr. Black nodded. "You could say that Harry... my crazy mum asked for extra security for her vault, they put a dragon in front of it."

Gasps came from the Grangers and Harry swallowed, but before they could say any more Mr. Black pushed open the doors. "Shall we?"

Inside they found themselves in what looked like, well, an old fashioned bank. Goblin tellers sat behind a long counter that was high off the ground with piles of record books beside them. Many of them wore spectacles and were clad in the sort of outfit that Harry thought wouldn't seem out of place in a London bank a century ago.

Mr. Black led them to a rather tall goblin sitting behind the counter, his dark eyes focused on them. "Bogrod... I believe I arranged for an appointment."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Black... You are three minutes late." The goblin answered as he clambered down from behind the counter and walked out to meet them. "I take it from Mr. Potter's appearance that there are complications to the execution of the Potter's will?"

"You could say that, Bogrod." Mr. Black said. "Let's get to it. I think we have a lot to discuss between us."

Harry chewed his lip as he tried to understand the 'adult' things going on and glanced nervously at Hermione. He knew that some of this had to involve him... did this mean his biological parents had left him money? Surely, Mr. Black would not try and force Harry to come with him. He followed the group nervously as Bogrod led them into an office and clambered up into a seat behind a large desk.

His smart face twisted slightly into a smug look. "Muggles, Mr. Black... how interesting this will be."

"Yes well... it seems I'll need to make some seating for us." Mr. Black said as he looked at the two chairs before the desk. "With your permission."

"Of course."

With a few flicks of his wand, Sirius conjured a large chair beside the two already present and a pair of slightly smaller ones suitable for Hermione and Harry. As they sat down Sirius opened his briefcase and pulled out a long scroll of parchment and studied it for a moment. "No doubt you understand that circumstances have made the situation... well rather complicated."

"Yes, yes... No one could have anticipated that Mr. Potter would disappear into the muggle world." Bogrod said after a moment. "So... what shall be done now, young Mr. Potter is here and will attend Hogwarts in the next year."

"I wish to concede my guardianship of Mr. Potter in all mundane matters to the Mr. and Mrs. Granger." Sirius stated. At that moment Harry saw his parents squeeze each other's hands. Then Sirius continued after a cough. "Of course, if they allow a certain amount of visitation rights..."

"We will Sirius." Jean assured him immediately.

"As the Ministry of Magic does not believe muggles are capable of making decisions on magical matters, I will retain the rights of guardianship on those matters." Sirius said before chewing his lip. "Currently Miss Granger's magical guardian would be the Headmaster of Hogwarts..."

This left both Grangers in shock. Dan huffed, "You mean... we don't have guardianship over our daughter in magical matters?"

"No." Bogrod said. "The Ministry of Magic is very hesitant to extend any rights to a muggle-born's parents and see them as a threat to the Statute of Secrecy. The Statute of Secrecy is the legal act separating the muggle and magical worlds."

"You keep saying that word..." Dan said with a furrowed brow.

Sirius and Bogrod glanced at each other for a moment. "What word?" Sirius asked.

"Muggle, I assume it means non-magical from the context, but can't you call us something that doesn't sound so... I don't know." Jean asked.

"It sounds almost... disparaging." Dan said.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry... It's just the term we use." Sirius suddenly said. "Would... I don't know, non-magical or mundane be more acceptable?"

"Mundane is fine..." Jean said. "Though even that does sound a little..." She sighed. "We don't have magic, we're still people."

"Yes... You are people, fine people I'd say considering Harry and Hermione." Sirius said and smiled warmly. "Now... about the magical guardianship, I could apply to be Hermione's magical guardian instead of the Headmaster... keep it all in the 'family', if you'd like me to."

"Can we think about it? We really just met you a few days ago Sirius." Dan said.

Sirius nodded. "Of course, I figured I should offer." He chewed his lip for a moment. "How fiscally secure are you? There was a clause in the will that Harry's guardians were to receive a monthly stipend for his care."

"Fairly secure... We're still paying the mortgage but that's pretty normal." Dan said.

"Well, you've got nine years' worth of support coming your way." Sirius said with a faint smile and Dan and Jean glanced at each other in surprise. "That'd be around ten thousand galleons."

Dan Granger looked up at the goblin and frowned. "About the galleons, Mr. Bogrod... my wife and I are dentists so we deal in gold quite a bit. Mr. Black tells me that the exchange for the galleon is five pounds, but I know that an ounce of gold right now is worth about one hundred and fifty pounds." Dan said. "Is the Magical Government subsidizing that or what is going on?"

The goblin stared at him for a long moment before smirking. "Mr. Granger, I must say it's a pleasure to talk to an intelligent man for once... Yes, the galleon uses a third of an ounce in its manufacture and is 'backed' by its gold content. While the exchange for the metals alone would be fifty pounds, the Ministry of Magic formally instituted the valuation of the pound and galleon at five pounds to the galleon in 1818 and has been unwilling to change the valuation since. At the time this valuation forced many of those magical humans living in the mug-mundane world to return to the wizarding world and greatly impoverished those mundaneborns entering the world for the first time. In truth, that was likely their goal."

"The wizarding government, you will find Mr. Granger, is rather stupid. As so few members that make up the august body that writes the laws have bought so much as a gallon of milk from the mundane world, they are completely unaware of the circumstances their valuation of the galleon to the pound has caused. As the vast majority of the wizarding world are half-bloods who find there is no sensible reason not to buy their milk at the local grocer, money tends to flow more from galleons to pounds. Each exchange based on the Ministry's rate nets the bank a ninety-percent profit. By the flip side, each exchange in the opposite direction nets the bank a very severe loss, as exchanges occur more in one direction then the other... we have not deemed to inform the Ministry of their stupidity."

"You're making money off that?" Mr. Granger said before chuckling. "Are they really that stupid?"

"Yes... they are."

"Damn, you're talking about me." Sirius muttered. "And to think, I'm better than most of the lot on the Wizengamot."

"Can we get Harry's stipend in gold and exchange the gold for pounds at its true value?" Dan asked.

Bogrod chuckled. "For a fee, of course..."

"What about Harry's schooling? Is there university in the wizarding world?" Jean asked. "I mean..."

Bogrod and Sirius choked as they started laughing. A moment later Sirius shook his head. "I'm afraid there is no university in the wizarding world, he could apply for apprenticeship or mastery but we don't have the same sort of trade or vocational schooling."

"Mrs. Granger, do you have any understanding of just how wealthy your ward is?" Bogrod asked. "While certainly not hideously wealthy, the boy's parents left everything of his in trust. His account is worth over two million galleons at present."

"TWO MILLION?" Harry stammered. "I... What?"

"Even at the five galleon exchange rate, Mr. Potter's vault contains over ten million pounds worth of coinage." Bogrod said flatly. "You must understand, in their will, Mr. Potter's parents asked that their remaining assets be liquidated and placed at Gringotts. They owned land in several areas and their home at Godric's Hollow was turned over to the Ministry to act as a historic landmark."

"Most of the Potter family valuables were lost when the family home was destroyed during the last war, but the land alone was worth a tidy sum." Sirius said after a moment. "Also, they held a Wizengamot seat. I'm not sure who Harry's proxy is at the moment. I wouldn't worry about that, it won't affect you until you're of age Harry, and then you could easily hand the proxy over to a friend."

"What's the Wizengamot?" Harry asked.

"Ah yes... well, the Wizengamot is the Magical World's governing body... think of it as a town council for the wizarding world. Also in the event you ever end up in legal trouble, the Wizengamot also acts as the jury in our court of law." Black said. "It's... a bit like the House of Lords. When it was first formed it was made up of the thirty-three most powerful wizarding families, the seven department heads of the Ministry of Magic, the Chief Warlock, the Minister of Magic, and the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister. Since then... well, the family seats all still exist, even if the families don't due to intermarriage and merging of lines, in which case the family seat's proxy is often given over to others that have supported them. It all ends up being rather wolly."

"So there's no direct democracy or parliamentary system in place?" Jean asked. "My, your world sounds more and more backward by the moment. We've had a House of Commons since the fourteenth-century."

"I think having the common people chase after us with pitchforks put us a bit off trusting the 'common' people." Mr. Black said.

"Oh..."

Harry at that moment imagined Sirius roaring through a sleepy village on his motorcycle pursued by a crowd trying to chase the 'hooligan' away. It was an odd thought, one of those absurd things a bored child comes up with while the adults are talking about things they normally don't have to worry about.

"Now..." Mr. Black pulled a key from his pocket and turned to Harry. "This is yours, pup... it's your vault key. Just don't spend it all at once."

"I... I wouldn't even know how to spend that much money." Harry muttered as he took the key.

Then Sirius pulled out a set of parchments and passed them to Bogrod, Mrs. Granger, and Mr. Granger. "This contract will formally and legally acknowledge my transference of guardianship of Harry to the Grangers. All that should be left is for us to sign it and notarize it accordingly."

As his guardians read the contract, Harry toyed with his key... Two million galleons? That was ten million pounds, or maybe even more... Maybe Mum and Dad could take them somewhere neat this summer... apparently they were going to get money for taking care of him.

"How the hell do you write with this?" Dan muttered as he struggled with a quill. A moment later, he passed the contract over to Bogrod who nodded and quickly notarized them before pressing the signatures. That done he passed one to each of them and kept his copy for the bank's records.

"Alright, was there anything else?" Dan asked looking a bit disgruntled.

"We are done... but I'd like to talk to Bogrod about the galleon valuation. Maybe he can explain it to me in small words." Sirius said.

Bogrod grinned at that. "Of course, Mr. Black, I would be happy to explain the basics of finance and currency manipulation to you." He tapped a bell and the door to the office opened. A small goblin with dark hair and a swept back face stepped into the room. "Griphook, if you would take Mr. Potter and his family to his vault."

Harry looked at the goblin who nodded, slowly the group started to shuffle out and Harry caught Bogrod start to explain as the door shut behind him. With a relieved sigh he followed Griphook through an elevator to an underground cavern. A cart stopped before them and the goblin turned to Harry. "Key please?"

Harry handed over the key and clambered onto the cart along with his parents. Hermione glanced nervously over the side and swallowed. "It's like a mine shaft, isn't it?"

"I thought London was built on a clay bed." Dan muttered.

Griphook activated the cart. "Keep your hands and feet inside, or loose them..." Then the cart shot down the rail. Harry started giggling as the wind messed with his hair and Hermione turned green. It was like one of those runaway mine cart rides at an amusement park. He even saw a flash of flames from a side cavern and thought he caught a glimpse of a dragon as the cart shot past and braked to a stop.

Hermione gasped for breath as she stumbled out and her parents looked at her in concern. "You alright dear?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"My stomach..." Hermione moaned. "You liked that, didn't you Harry?"

"Yep!" Harry said with a grin. "Come on 'Mione, it wasn't that bad."

Griphook opened the vault door and handed Harry back the key. Inside were mounds of gold coins, columns of silver sickles, and heaps of little bronze knuts. Harry just stared for a moment before fumbling with his pockets. "Umm... how much would you suggest for a bit of spending money?"

"I honestly have no idea Harry." His dad said as he glanced around the vault mentally adding up the piles of gold, silver, and bronze coins. "How about fifty galleons or so? It'd be about a pound of coins."

"Is this really two million galleons?" Harry said as he began to pickup a stack of the gold coins. "It doesn't look like that many."

Griphook spoke from the entrance. "Some of your gold is currently on loan through the bank, Mr. Potter... Still, most do not realize how little space a ton of gold takes." The goblin chuckled faintly at that.

"The way this place runs..." Dan glanced at Griphook. "Do you offer bank notes?"

"Bank notes?" Hermione and Harry asked as they looked at their father.

"We do, few use them except for the largest transactions." Griphook stated. "Mr. Potter, a bank note is much like a muggle check. Ours of course are charmed to ensure you cannot write one for more than the amount in your vault."

"Oh... I understand." Harry said as he finished grabbing the pound of galleons and glanced at his parents. "So... I should get a book of bank notes?"

"I can give you one once we're back on the surface, Mr. Potter." Griphook stated.

"You know... paper money is a form of bank note, Harry... it's just that it's not backed by metals like wizarding money but by the government." Dan said. Griphook stared at him in surprise. "What? We run our own business, knowing these things helps."

Jean smirked faintly at that and shook her head. "Now, now... lets go then."

Hermione was green by the time they returned to the surface, still not that happy with the ride on the carts. As Griphook filled out the book of banknotes, Mr. Black stepped out of the office looking downright furious. "I had no idea it was that screwed up Bogrod... You'll help me explain it to the Wizengamot?"

Bogrod shook his head. "I am afraid, we goblins are not allowed into those proceedings Mr. Black."

"Damn it..." Sirius muttered as he glanced at the rest of them. "At least help me explain it Dumbledore... the man has a soft spot for the poorer members of our society and this will definitely help them."

"Of course, Mr. Black... I'd be happy to explain it to him." Bogrod said before giving Sirius a nod. "May your coffers grow ever richer."

"I wouldn't know what to do with the money Bogrod." Sirius said before nodding to Bogrod and walking over to them. "Now... let's get to shopping, shall we?"

"I SAW A BOOKSTORE!" Hermione cried out. "Come on mum, lets go to the bookstore!"

Sirius snickered. "Hermione, maybe you'd like to get a wand first... they're a bit pricier then a book."

"Mr. Granger..." Bogrod said as he approached. "I believe this will be acceptable for your bank. I also set aside fifty galleons for your use today." He handed Mr. Granger a check that made Dan's eyes go wide.

"Dear..." Mrs. Granger asked before glancing at the check. "Half... half a million pounds?"

"We could pay off the mortgage... immediately and then some..." Dan Granger said as he stared at the check in his hands before glancing at Bogrod. "What was the service charge?"

"Five percent." Bogrod said simply.

Harry saw Dan slip the check into his pocket with shaking hands before taking the small money pouch that Bogrod offered. "Thank you..."

Sirius smiled at that. "Come on... let's get your wands and see about spending those galleons burning in your pockets."

He led them out of the bank and to a small shop, a single wand sat in the middle of the window atop a pillow and Sirius smirked at them. "Ollivanders, he's the best wandmaker in Europe, of course he only has got a handful of competitors but... such is the world." He pulled open the door and ushered them inside.

As they stopped before a counter, Harry glanced around and saw that there were huge shelves filled with various wands stretching out into the distance. He could feel a tingle in the air as if from some unseen magic.

"It's bigger on the inside..." Dan said and both the elder Grangers snickered at that.

Sirius glanced at them looking confused, but before he could speak up the rumble of a rolling ladder echoed in the shop and a older man slid to a stop before them. He had a shock of grey hair and the most piercing grey eyes Harry had ever seen. As he glanced among them, his gaze stopped on Harry and he arched a bushy eyebrow. "Mr. Potter, I wondered when you'd wander into my shop..." His gaze shot toward Sirius. "Sirius Black how's your wand? Ivy and dragon heartstring... rather strong wood if I remember correctly."

"It's excellent Ollivander. No problems as yet." Sirius said brightly. "But then... we're not here for my wand, are we?"

"I see that you found Mr. Potter... is this the family that took him in that night?" Ollivander asked.

"They are, and it's a bit funny... Hermione here is magical too." Sirius said as he touched Hermione's shoulder. "So you'll have two wands to find today."

"Excellent!" Ollivander said brightly before pulling out a tape measure. "What is your wand arm Miss?"

"Umm... I'm right handed." Hermione said and the tape measure began to circle her on it's own, measuring all sorts of things like it was being directed by a hidden tailor.

"Excellent, excellent... your birthday?" He asked after a moment.

"September 19th." Hermione said shakily.

"Oh, so you got your letter just a few days ago then?" He snapped his fingers and the tape measure went limp. "Yes, excellent..." He clambered aboard the ladder and kicked off, rolling out of sight. "I hope you're excited."

"Oh yes... very." Hermione said with a quivering voice. "It really explained a lot when we found out."

"No doubt, no doubt..." Ollivander rumbled back into view with a set of six boxes in his arms. He set them down on the counter and took out the first. "Vine and Phoenix Feather, seven inches rather flexible."

Hermione hesitantly took the wand and stared at him.

"Oh of course... just give it a wave, the wand chooses the wizard you see. You'll never get as good of a result from another's wand then your own." Ollivander said.

Hermione flicked it and one of the shelves behind Ollivander shattered. The wandmaker shook his head. "No... no..." He plucked the wand from Hermione's grasp. "Let's try this one... Vine and unicorn hair, rather whippy."

After she waved the wand, the Grangers hurriedly stepped aside as the chandelier overhead groaned and fell onto the floor beside a chair. Ollivander snatched the wand away and shook his head. "No, definitely not..." Hermione looked a bit embarassed before Ollivander pulled out the next wand. "Vine and dragon heartstring, 10 3/4 inches, rather firm and unyielding."

As Hermione took the wand, a strange wind blew through the shop sending her bushy hair blowing in all directions. As she waved it, a series of gold and blue sparks shot from the wand and Ollivander applauded. "Excellent, most excellent miss Granger!"

Hermione stared at the wand for a long moment then grinned. "I can feel tingles Harry..."

"That's the magic Miss Granger, you must be quite powerful to feel it." Ollivander said with a faint smile. "I'm sure you'll do quite well."

"Me next!" Harry said and Hermione laughed as Ollivander smiled.

"Oh yes... this will certainly be interesting." He packed away the boxes on the table and rolled back out of sight. Shortly afterward, he returned with a set of different boxes in his hands.

The first wand he pulled from the box was black. "Ebony and phoenix feather, 9 inches, rather snappy." Harry took the wand and flicked it, immediately causing a nearby pot to explode. Ollivander snatched the wand from his hand and replaced it with a wand of bright white wood. "Beech and dragon heartstring, 7 1/2 inches, a bit stiff."

This wand managed to cause an entire shelf to disintegrate behind Ollivander. He quickly swapped it for another. Soon the whole of the front of the shop was a mess from destroyed shelves and decorations. Despite this Ollivander seemed more excited by the moment. Finally he finished with his set of boxes and pursed his lips. "I wonder..."

Then the man was gone, he returned with a single box marked a series of notes. He pulled the wand out and smiled faintly before turning it toward Harry. "Unusual combination, Holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple."

Like with Hermione, a wind seemed to be summoned at the front of the shop the moment it touched his hand. With a wave a series of red and gold sparks shot from it's tip and Ollivander nodded. "Yes... very good Mr. Potter." He glanced at Sirius and the others for a moment as if in thought. "It might interest you to know that the Phoenix Feather in your wand came from the same Phoenix which gave the feather for You-Know-Who's wand... a fearful instrument that was, I should have known when I handed it to the boy that it would be turned to such purposes. I'm afraid I sold it... Yew and phoenix feather, 13 1/2 inches, rather rigid wood." He shook his head.

"Does that mean anything?" Sirius asked quietly. "I mean... Harry's struck me as a good boy, he wouldn't ever go down such a road."

Harry shuddered at that thought and considered returning the wand in his hand and asking for another when Ollivander spoke up. "I just found it ironic... You see, I'm a student of wandlore Mr. Potter, we study the interaction between wand and wizard, wood and core, length and arithmancy. You may have a brother core to You-Know-Who's but the wood, the length, and so forth indicate you are far different then he was. I would not worry about that Mr. Potter."

"Yes sir." Harry said carefully feeling the warmth of the wand in his hand, almost reassuring him.

"Now... that'll be fourteen galleons for the two wands." Ollivander said with a faint smile before looking at the mess that filled his shop. "Hmm... quite the destruction you've left behind, how about a quick lesson on fixing it up?"

Hermione brightened at that and Harry gave a nervous smile as Ollivander pulled out his wand. "Watch and learn..." He gave a corkscrew motion with his wand and said. _"Reparo!"_

A shelf shot back up into place and seemed to repair itself as they watched. A moment later both Harry and Hermione gave it a try, reassembling shelves and a clay pot while Ollivander used some other charms to clean up scattered dirt and dust. When they were finished, he smiled. "Very good, you two learn quickly."

"Thank you sir." Hermione said with a slight smile.

"Now... where to now?" Sirius asked.

Harry grinned. "Where else Sirius? The Bookstore!" Hermione flushed at that and giggled as Sirius led them out of the shop onto the streets. In just a few minutes, Hermione and Harry were inside Flourish and Blotts. Hermione squealed with delight as she dragged Harry up the stairs to the second floor where she saw a section labeled 'Welcome to the Wizarding World.'


	4. Bookstores and Bookworms

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 4:** Bookstores and Bookworms

* * *

Sirius Black couldn't help but laugh as he watched Harry Potter being dragged up the stairs toward the section labeled 'Welcome to the Magical World' by his sister in all but blood. The girl, with her bushy hair, brown eyes, and voracious appetite for books amused him, especially when her eyes lit up on seeing a bit of magic.

"They are quite a pair, aren't they?" Jean said with a faint smile as Sirius watched them.

Sirius nodded. "They are, I'm sure if his parents lived, he'd have siblings..." He sighed. "I never expected to find him living with people like yourselves, let alone that he'd have a sister in all but blood." Sirius snorted. "Should have known... I was James's brother in all but blood."

The two children had raced up the stairs and clambered over to the bookcase. Hermione was pulling a book off the shelf and skimming the pages, her eyes wide and excited as she started reading. The first page riveted her attention instantly. She started to read aloud as Harry skimmed through the section, occasionally looking over books that seemed far too old and far to worn to be 'new' on display.

_"Did you know that the Loch Ness monster is really a misidentified magical creature known as a Kelpie, that the Queen has a Wizard in her court, or that the Great Wars of the twentieth century were instigated by a Dark Wizard named Grindelwald?_

_Of course not, your neighbors would think you mad to believe such things, but now that the oddity of the various strange occurrences that happen round you have been explained, I would hope you are not surprised. I'd like to be among the first to say, welcome to the magical world…"_

Harry arched an eyebrow at his sister. "What's a kelpie?"

"I have no idea... this is so neat though Harry." Hermione said quickly as she flipped through the book.

Harry grinned and glanced around the shelves. On the opposite shelf he saw a fat tome with what looked like a lightning bolt emblazoned on its cover. Curious he pulled it fromt he shelf and almost toppled to the floor from the heavy book.

"Harry?" Hermione asked as he sat beside her in a chair and opened the book in his lap. "What did you find?"

"I don't know... the book had a lightning bolt on it." Harry said as he shut it and studied the cover. "_The Secrets of Runic Power_ by Stephen Gundarsson... Runes?" Harry studied the lightning bolt shape on the cover and frowned. "That's a rune?"

Hermione arched an eyebrow and pushed a few strands of his hair out of the way and traced his scar with her hand. "So... You have a rune burned onto your head Harry?"

"I guess." Harry smirked. "Maybe it's some sort of protection rune or something?"

Hermione sat beside him and set the tome between them. "Let's find it then..." After a few moments they'd found the lightning bolt shaped rune amongst dozens of others in the general index. "Sowilo... meaning transcendent power, salvation, knowledge, will, success, victory, good health, vitality, s..."

She stopped at that point and flushed brightly as she continued to read the meaning of the rune before snickering, and then breaking into uncontrollable giggles. Confused, Harry peered over her shoulder:

_Sowilo: The rune of transcendent power, salvation, knowledge, will, success, victory, good health, vitality, sexual prowess, and stability in turbulent times._

"Hermione!" Harry stammered.

"You're going to make one witch very happy, little brother!" She said before slipping off the chair and folding up in laughter.

"Mione..." Harry groaned.

A moment later, Mr. Black peered over the shelves at the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Harry has a rune on his head!" Hermione said cheekily.

"Really..." Sirius said as he peered down at the two of them. Harry felt Mr. Black's gaze flick toward his scar and the man arched an eyebrow. "Well... I suppose it does look like he does. How long have you had that scar?"

"I don't know..." Harry said as he rubbed it slightly. "I've had it as long as I can remember..."

"I think Mum said you got it when they took you from the house." Hermione said. "It does look like a rune, doesn't it Mr. Black."

"Please, enough with the Mr. Black... Call me Sirius, Uncle Sirius, or Padfoot." He said as he glanced at the book on runes. "Sowilo... fascinating."

"Uncle Sirius?" Harry stammered.

"Padfoot, why would anyone call you Padfoot?" Hermione muttered.

"You're my Uncle?" Harry asked, as Sirius grinned at them. "Really?"

"Well... not by blood, but I was almost as close to your father as you two are." Sirius said.

"Oh!" Harry said and turned to Hermione. "He's a lot cooler then Uncle Ryan..."

"Everyone is cooler then Uncle Ryan." Hermione said.

Uncle Ryan was Mrs. Granger's brother, and he was a very boring person. He was an investment banker, who liked to lord over their parents about his success on the market. Sadly he was just as dull as his job, something that their parents even commented on, which was funny as both Hermione and Harry couldn't imagine any job being quite as dull and boring as staring into people's mouths for hours a day like their parents did. At least their parents played with them when they were smaller, read books, watched telly, and dad was a footballer.

Uncle Ryan's entire life seemed to be composed of the maths of investment banking and gathering as much wealth as he could into one pile, probably so that he could put it all in a swimming pool and dive in like that funny Scrooge McDuck on the telly. Harry guessed he would get along quite well with that banker, Bogrod, if he wasn't a goblin.

"I guess I'll meet him someday..." Sirius said as he reached down and messed up Harry's hair. "Now, as for why people call me Padfoot." With a pop the man transformed into a massive black dog and stepped around the shelf a moment later.

Hermione and Harry gaped at the dog for a moment before he transformed back and grinned mischievously at them.

"I'm what's called an animagus, it means I can transform into the form of an animal." He grinned at them as they still looked shocked.

"COOL!" Harry said after a moment and grinned brightly at Sirius. "Can we learn that?"

"I'm sure you could Harry... your dad learned how to, but it's a huge amount of work." Sirius said before reaching down and picking up the rune book. "Hmm... this is probably a bit advanced for you two, maybe something a bit more introductory?" Sirius turned to the shelf and pulled out another book which looked much newer. "Gilbert Rote's _An Introduction to Runes, Hex Signs, and Magical Sigils_." He flipped through it for a moment then nodded. "This will work. There are some really simple ones in there for you to try out..."

"Cool..." Harry said as he was handed the book. Hermione held the book: An Introduction to the Magical World by Charity Burbage to her chest and smiled.

"Mr. Black..." She said quietly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, call me Sirius... Mr. Black makes me feel positively ancient." Sirius said with a smirk. "I suppose I should tell you that the Ministry of Magic has a law against underage use of magic... Magic used by underage wizards is tracked by a charm known as well the Trace. Now, they can only detect active magic like that created by your wands until you come of age, so if you want to try some magic you'll have to do passive magic like runes and potions. A lot of kids use potions for pranking their siblings."

Harry grinned and Hermione smacked him in the side. "No pranks!"

"Fine..." Harry muttered. "So... until we start school next year, all we'll really be allowed to practice is potions and runes?"

"Well, at your house anyway... most magical homes have active magic that obscures the Ministry's detectors and the trace can't tell who casts a spell, just that a spell was cast near an magical child. They trust the parents to enforce the rules." Sirius smirked faintly. "But... the Ministry of Magic doesn't monitor a child's magical activity until after they complete their first year at Hogwarts, as they assume that before that most magical emissions are actually accidental magic. You should be okay to try and experiment for now. The moment you get a warning from the Ministry of Magic though, you should stop. They have the authority to snap your wand and expel you from Hogwarts if they find you've been using magic all the time."

"Maybe we should just do runes and potions then..." Hermione said quietly. "I don't want to be expelled even before I got to go!"

Harry nodded his agreement. "So, let's get potions and rune books..."

At that moment the Grangers appeared by the bookcase and glanced down at the two children. "Maybe some background reading, too sweetie?" Jean suggested. "I saw a whole section on Hogwarts and Wizarding History."

Letting loose Hermione in a bookstore was always an experience as, the voracious reader could often pickup a novella and finish reading it by the time she finally approached the counter, and quote whole sections from it by memory alone. Letting their Mum loose in a bookstore was often just as daunting, as it seemed to be the source of Hermione's bookishness, letting both of them loose in a magical bookstore with the equivalent of five hundred quid available for their purchase proved to be a dangerous combination.

"Honestly, I'm going to have to double the number of shelves we've got at home." Dan said as Jean pulled a thick volume called: _Hogwarts' A History_ from one of the top shelves and passed it down to him. Sirius laughed at that while he helped carry the huge pile of books that Harry and Hermione were finding.

"Come on Dan, we want to know everything we can about the school, don't we?" Jean said as she clambered down and began to thumb through the books. "_An Introduction to Alchemy, An Introduction to Arithmancy, History of Magic, Magical Theory_, Daniel... did you pick that one?"

"What?" Dan asked as he glanced at the title. "_The Second Grindlewald War_? It's about the war Jean, you know..."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Typical." She pulled out a book labeled _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and arched an eyebrow before skimming the inside cover. "The rise and fall of You-Know-Who and the rumored Boy-Who-Lived?"

"I wouldn't bother with that... most of the writers don't really understand what all happened." Sirius said as he glanced at them. "What happened that Halloween is all, well, guesswork."

"What about the war... though?" Dan asked. "I mean, surely they know something about that?"

"Sure they do... but a lot of stuff has been covered up." Sirius said.

"Cover up why?"

Sirius snorted. "Would you, like the world to know that Mr. Lucius Malfoy, the biggest donator to St. Mungo's Hospital was a terrorist for You-Know-Who? He was, but he paid a lot of people off to hide that fact."

"Oh... So there's a lot of corruption going around?" Dan said with a faint scowl. "Great and this is the world my kids want to become part of?"

"I'm afraid so." Sirius said before Harry found another book from a shelf and pushed it atop the stack Sirius was already holding. Suddenly overbalanced, Sirius toppled to the ground scattering the books he'd been carrying in all directions. Harry and Hermione started snickering as he clambered to his feet and scowled at the two of them. This sent them into a fit of the giggles.

"Imps..." Sirius muttered to himself as he pulled out his wand and flicked it toward the scattered books, instantly they were stacked up and he picked them up. "Honestly, how many more books are you two going to find? Do I need to get a sack with an undetectable expansion charm?"

The two kids were soon on the floor laughing as Sirius rolled his eyes.

It took another hour for them to exhaust their ability to find books that they wanted and soon three large stacks of various books sat atop the counter. The store clerk looked almost faint as he counted up the books. "Oh my... it's the largest sale this week." He muttered to himself before figuring the total. "That will be seventy-nine galleons and twelve sickles."

Harry and Dan paid the cashier, apologizing for actually paying the man in coin when they had finally counted out eighty galleons. The clerk didn't seem to mind and as they were about to leave, Sirius waved his wand shrinking the books down to a bit more manageable size. Soon they were out the door.

"So... where to?" Harry asked as Sirius led them back toward the Leaky Cauldron.

"I thought we could get a bit of lunch..." Sirius said as he led them into the pub. The small crowd that had been inside when they arrived had swelled with the lunch rush. Sirius even saw Garrick Ollivander pick up a to-go bag from the bar before smiling at them and slipping out the door. A teen in a punk rocker's t-shirt with violently violet hair was in the corner of the bar listening intently to an old man with graying red hair, a scar covered face, and a huge artificial blue eye that's gaze swept across the whole room as they watched.

"Nympy!" Sirius yelled and the teen jumped, knocking a mug from the counter and sending it bouncing across the floor. Beside her, the scarred man laughed once and slammed a hand onto her shoulder.

"Auror Cadet Tonks, how many times do I have to tell you...? CONSTANT VIGILANCE! If Lord Black wanted to curse you, you'd be dead now!" The scarred man said before thumping a clearly wooden leg on the floor beside her, making the teen jump again. "You've got some promise, but you need to be more aware of your surroundings!"

The teen sunk a bit in her chair and swore under her breath. Harry stared as her violet hair turned a bright red and she spun around to face Sirius, scowling. "SIRIUS! DON'T CALL ME NYMPY! My name is Tonks!"

"Your name is Nymphadora and you know it... blame your Mum, not me." Sirius said as he gestured the Grangers and Harry toward a table in the corner. "Also, you mind telling Andy I'd like to have, you, her, and Ted at my house for dinner tomorrow."

"Sure, Mum would like that." The teen said after a moment before glancing back at Sirius.

The scarred man barked from his seat. "You find that damn boy yet Black?"

Harry glanced at Sirius who smirked faintly before turning toward the scarred man. "Actually Moody, I did... now if you'll excuse me."

"YOU WHAT?" Moody shouted, his blue eye spinning wildly as he stood. "You mean you actually found the boy?"

"Oh Merlin's wrinkled old balls!" Sirius grumbled before spinning toward Moody and Nymphadora. "Come over here you two."

Moody hobbled over to them, his gaze jumping across the Grangers before coming to a stop on Harry. "Hmm..."

Harry sat down in the corner of the table and watched Sirius sigh as the punk looking teen and the scarred man walked over to them. Sirius gave a rather theatrical wave toward them. "Allow me to introduce, my second cousin Aurora Cadet Nymphadora Tonks... and Senior Auror Alastor 'Mad-eye' Moody." He turned to the pair and grinned. "Dora, Moody... this is Dan Granger, Jean Granger, Hermione Granger, and... Harry Potter."

Instantly all conversation in the Leaky Cauldron stopped. Tonks's hair turned a pale white and her eyes widened comically. Both of Moody's eyes locked on Harry who swallowed.

"Impossible!" A man by the counter said. "Harry Potter died that night, everybody says so but Dumbledore and you Black!"

"Really... well, then who is sitting here then, with the Potter vault key and a brand new wand?" Sirius asked as people crowded around to get a look at the boy. With a snort of annoyance, he held up his arms to keep the crowd back. "Now, come on, give us some room."

Tonks giggled slightly before whipping a chair around and sitting on it before them. Moody growled at the crowd, which slowly began to back away from the grizzled old figure. "Alright you lot, give the lad some space!" He snapped and several people recoiled. "Tonks, don't sit like that... it leaves your back exposed."

"Fine Moody..." Tonks said before rolling her eyes.

Moody stepped over to the corner of the table. "If you don't mind, I prefer to have my back to the wall."

Immediately the Grangers shifted chairs around the table. Moody sat down heavily, pulled a hip flask out, and took a swig. "Well thank you... after all the years I've been chasing Dark Wizards, you can understand a bit of caution."

Harry glanced up at the towering man and his gaze flicked down to the wooden leg that was stretched out under the table before glancing at Tonks and seeing her hair seem to flicker before turning a bubblegum pink. She winked at him and grinned. "Hey kid... you're kind of cute."

Harry blushed as Moody chuckled darkly. "Don't tease the poor lad."

Sirius sat down heavily and let out a sigh. "Now..."

"Where'd you find the boy, Black? Dumbledore had me looking for awhile." Moody harrumphed.

"Weston Farm in Winchester, and I didn't find him... McGongall stumbled on him." Sirius said before scooting up to the table. "She was informing Hermione here that she was a witch."

"Aye, you're a muggleborn, congrats miss... I remember my time in Hogwarts." Moody said before leaning back in his chair. "It was sixty years ago, back when Grindelwald was gaining power in Europe, dark times... I hope your time is more enjoyable."

"Yes sir." Hermione said with a faint nod.

"You're scaring her Mad-Eye!" Tonks said with a roll of her eyes. "Well, you know it's not been that long for me... I just graduated last year. It's a magical place, that's for sure."

Sirius snorted at that before shaking his head and glancing toward the older Grangers. "Moody and Tonks are Aurors... their job is to catch Dark Wizards."

"So you're police?" Dan asked.

"No... Everyday law enforcement is handled by others... the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and Improper Use of Magic Office. The Auror Office handles the investigation of big crimes... murder, use of unforgiveable curses, possession of dark artifacts, trafficking in dark creatures, and other truly nasty and disgusting things. We have to be skilled in combat magic and dueling to ensure our survival, Dark Wizards have no qualms about killing."

"Sounds more like a detective then." Jean said. "They handle the 'big' crimes in our society... murder, rape, kidnapping, and so forth."

"Exactly, you need a special kind of person to catch the nastiest sorts." Moody said. "I'll be retiring shortly, but Tonks here has a lot of promise... I think after some training she'll do alright. Especially with the talent she has for disguise."

Harry glanced at Tonks and stared again as her bubblegum pink hair turned to a curly blond. A moment later she grinned as she saw that the Grangers and Harry were staring at her. "I'm a metamorphmagus... a magical shape shifter." She finally said. "Sirius is teaching me to expand my repertoire a bit more and become an animagus as well."

Sirius grinned. "I think we should call it a new Black Family tradition and get rid of the old 'stars for names' thing."

"That would be very useful..." Mad-Eye stated. "Wouldn't help me at all with my... wooden leg and missing eye, but if I still had all my extremities I'd have been interested in trying. How far along are you?"

"I'm trying... Sirius thinks I should complete the transformation by next year." Tonks said with a faint grin.

"So, you can turn into a dog too?" Hermione asked.

Tonk giggled. "No... Not a dog, I'll be turning into a fox."

"Useful, as long as we don't revoke the fox hunting ban," Dan Granger said with a grin.

Tonks hair flashed a bright red before she shuddered. "That'd make a stake out go bad quick... twits on horseback and hounds chasing me all over the countryside."

Harry laughed a bit at that when Tom, the Barman, arrived to take their orders.

During lunch, Harry and Hermione opened up a few of their books and talked in low whispers. They quietly assembled a list of 'cool potions' and 'neat runes' that they wanted to try along with compiling a list of other items they'd need. Cauldrons, potions ingredients, runic engravers, and other things quickly were listed, and occasionally one of the adults would add a suggestion or two. Of course, their parents came up with things that none of the wizards did.

"Safety goggles." Jean said. "Some of these ingredients are probably toxic or dangerous... I don't want you two in hospital because a potion exploded in your face."

"Alchemy needs mercury in a lot of its processes... we'll need to find someplace with good ventilation before I let either of you even think about that. Mercury poisoning is very serious." Dan said after glancing at their list. "We should probably make sure to sterilize anything you use and find a way to store the ingredients to avoid cross contamination."

Apparently wizards had no understanding of things like cross-contamination, ventilation, or sterilization. Considering many of those things weren't really understood until the late 19th and early 20th century in the muggle world, it wasn't that surprising.

After lunch, and saying goodbye to the two Aurors, and helping Dan pack their book purchases in the back of the car they went back into Diagon Alley armed with a list of ingredients, tools, and various other supplies. In the Apothecary, Harry stared wide eyed at the various ingredients on the shelves ranging from a unicorn horn to newt eyes. They walked out with a wide variety of different ingredients and which smelled quite strongly.

At a cauldron shop, the two of them stared in wonder at the various sizes and types of cauldrons. Hermione and Harry were perplexed at the lack of steel... there were gold, silver, pewter, and iron cauldrons of various sorts ranging from collapsible types to self-stirring ones. When asked, the shop owner merely shrugged and said that if a wizard wanted a steel pot, they bought a steel pot from a muggle, after of course discussing the magical and alchemical dangers of using anything like steel. Eventually Harry and Hermione settled on a set of pewter and iron cauldrons along with a potioner's kit that included knives, scales, and a small wooden cutting board.

Across the street they bought an engraving kit for runes, parchment, ink, and quills. They started to use their cauldrons to carry their purchases as they made their way along and Harry stumbled to a stop before a shop called Broomstix.

"Okay... that's a cool looking broomstick." Dan admitted as he saw a polished broom in the front of the shop window. The sign over it said it was the Cleansweep Seven Racing Broom, great for Quidditch Seekers. "It actually looks like a vehicle, doesn't it?"

Sirius chuckled. "What you think we'd still use one without a seat?"

"Why brooms?" Jean asked. "I mean that was always the rumor... but why Brooms?"

"Tradition... originally they were just a warty looking broom enchanted to fly. They were easy to hide during the Witch Hunts and so forth as everyone owned a broom." Sirius explained.

"What's Quidditch?" Harry asked and Sirius's eyes went wide.

"Oh Merlin, you wouldn't know would you... it's like football on broomsticks... sort of. I should take you to a game sometime, really help explain then." Sirius said.

"Wicked..." Harry said with a sly smile.

Jean however went pale, "Football on brooms? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Oh sometimes... It's been years since anyone was really badly hurt." Sirius said. "They've got teams at school, bet Harry would do well... his dad was team captain and a fine chaser."

"Chaser?" Harry asked.

"It's one of the positions on the Quidditch team." Sirius said. "So... where to now?"

At that Jean rolled her eyes. "I think they've got enough... we don't want Harry to have to use bank notes."

"Oh right..." Sirius laughed at that. "Well, there's one thing left really... The Wizarding World uses courier birds for post... Owls mostly." He said. "It'll make it easier if I bought you one."

"An owl?" Jean asked while Harry and Hermione shouted. "COOL!"

"Yes, an owl..." Sirius said with a grin as he turned them toward Eeylops Owl Emporium. Inside they were treated to an immense collection of owls of every type imaginable. There were Tawny, Screech, Barn, and Brown Owls in cages or on various roosts. The din of various owls hooting in their cages filled the air and Harry and Hermione stared at the immense variety of birds.

Sirius walked up to the counter and smiled faintly. "Brown, Barn, Screech... no." The shopkeeper watched him for a moment as Sirius turned toward him and smirked. "Most of these are pretty common... What's your longest lived breed?"

"Ah... well, that'd be the Snowy, we've only got three of them at the moment." The shopkeeper said. "I've heard of them living almost thirty years if they're well kept."

"Excellent..." Sirius said. "Are they trained?"

"Yes... the youngest took to learning her trade very quickly... very bright owl." The Shopkeeper said with a faint smile. "She's just a year old."

"Excellent, really excellent." Sirius said. "I'll take her, a cage, treats, and... you have a book on caring for a Snowy?"

"Yes, of course..." She said with a smile before clambering up onto the ladder and removing a snowy white owl with golden eyes. When she was set on the counter, she glanced at the group of humans as if sizing them up and let out a quiet screech.

Harry stared. "She's pretty..."

Sirius paid for the purchase and handed Hermione the book with a grin before picking up the cage. "I'll carry her to the car... I take it you're done?"

"Yes... I think we're spent." Dan admitted.

"Alright, well... Tomorrow I was wondering if you'd like to drop by for dinner." Sirius said with a grin. "Tonks will be there... and perhaps a few others. I really must talk to Dumbledore."

They left the Alley with the owl and packed away their things. Harry set the Snowy Owl in the middle of the back seat as Hermione opened up a book on the History of Magic. Their mum started reading through the owl care book.

Harry watched Sirius roar off on his motorcycle and grinned before pulling open a book. They were halfway home when Hermione spoke up.

"Harry... what should we name her?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know..." Harry said. "Hermes?"

"I don't know... that's too much like my name." Hermione said before flipping through the book in her lap. "What about a name from here?"

"Okay..." Harry said with a shrug. "Like what?"

"Wyndolin, Tricksy, Solum, Tempest, Hedwig..." At that the Snow Owl gave a great screech and fluttered her wings restlessly.

"Hedwig?" Harry said before glancing at the owl. "What about Hedwig?"

"I like it..." Hermione said.

Harry glanced at the owl which was bobbing its head at him in a rather comical fashion grinned. "Hedwig it is."

Up front Dan sighed. "An owl... Dear, do we need a permit for an owl?"

"No idea..." Jean said as she flipped a page in the book. "I doubt the witches would bother if there was one required."

"Another thing to look up..." Dan muttered under his breath before giving a shrug. "It was fascinating, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was, dear." Jean Granger smiled faintly. "Yes it was."


	5. Padfoot and Moony

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

_Author's Note: You know, Ravenclaws in the books struck me as people without much in the way of a drive besides education... They're brains alone. Luna is the exception being a rather eccentric sort that can believe in things without evidence, but most Ravenclaws seem rather conventional in their outlook. Most don't challenge authority, they don't experiment, and they just absorb what they're told and believe it. It takes a Ravenclawish Gryffindor, a Gryffindorish Ravenclaw, a Slytherinish Ravenclaw, or Ravenclawish Slytherin to experiment and go beyond knowledge to actual application (People like Snape, Hermione, and in this fic at least... Harry)._

_Hermione has many Hufflepuff qualities as well... she's very hard working (excessively so... hopefully Harry can curb her over the top studying), loyal, and has a strong belief in justice. Still with being around Harry so long her more Gryffindor traits would probably be enhanced due to standing up for herself and Harry (while Harry's more Ravenclaw ones would at the same time)…_

_About the canon pairings and how Ron and Ginny end up friends with these two. I've outlined the basic chain of events and have thought a great deal about it and it won't be a 'Troll Incident' type of thing (Friends by plot convenience and homework help!) and it won't be early in the story either. It won't really happen until the very end of part three that the two groups start to move closer together._

_Oh… and I just realized I used Sirius's patronus for the first time ever… So I'm going to just come out and say my personal theory regarding patronii. As patronii are governed by happiness and/or love as their source of power and we've seen them change (Tonks went from something we don't know to a werewolf) the most likely determiner of the type of patronus is whom or what their happiness/love is associated with._

_For someone like McGongall, who is a widower… her patronus may be powered by a love of teaching transfiguration hence her patronus appears as her animagus form. For say… Lily, I think that her Doe is more likely powered by her mother (which may also indicate the type of person she was if Snape's love for her made his own a Doe)._

_This obviously could result in different patronii dependent on the situation. JK Rowling has hinted that Ron and Hermione's patronii represent each other for example. It's quite possible that Harry's love of his family would result in him producing a patronus different then a stag._

_JK has a thing for celtic mythology and symbolism… If you know this, you can roll back a bit of what's shown to reveal previously hidden things… Take for instance, Ginny Weasley's patronus._

_It's a stallion… In celtic symbolism it means nobility, victory, conquest, and triumph in battle… Who do we know has those traits? It seems using a wolf for Harry's animagus form in Son of Prongs doesn't fit canon Harry. XD_

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 5:** Padfoot and Moony

* * *

Sirius Black shut the door to the familiar old townhouse, the place that had once been his childhood home and a prison of sorts for his youth. Grimmauld Place it was called, and Sirius had thought when he'd run away to the home of James Potter at fifteen that it truly was a 'Grim Old Place'. Still, after his mother Walburga had died in 1985 he'd been astonished to find that he'd inherited the wretched home and it's equally wretched occupant the House-Elf Kreacher.

Without a home of his own beside the grim place, Sirius had decided that the best revenge he could take against his now dead parents was to turn their dark forbidding and grim residence into a livable home. The dark wallpaper had vanished beneath his wand to be replaced with bright colors. The dark ebony wood of the floors was stripped and replaced with a bright cherry. Kreacher had claimed innumerable keepsakes from the house during the renovation until. Finally, disgusted with the elf, Sirius had done something he was loath to do. He sold him to the only member of the Black Family still free besides himself that'd take him, Narcissa Malfoy. At last the portraits had been stowed away in box after box and hidden in the Black Vault at Gringotts... all save one.

His mum had left an evil reminder of herself in the entryway with a magical portrait that screeched and yelled obscenities at him when he'd first entered. The elf Kreacher had placed a permanent sticking charm to the frame. It couldn't be removed, at least not until Sirius admitted that he had neither the time nor ability to keep the house himself. He couldn't cook, he barely knew any house-cleaning charms, and really didn't have the time for renovating the house while he continued his search for Harry.

So he bought a house elf of his own. The little elf had taken up the slack with a smile and soon had the house cleaned and refurbished. The silver door handles, slytherin green carpet, and serpent sculptures were gone replaced by golden gryffindor lions, red carpet, and drapes with gold trim. The walls were now a bright white with wood paneling of cherry or rosewood.

The painting of his mother had dropped from the wall with a snap of the little elf's fingers, screaming the entire time.

It was as if the house had been completely remade and the darkness of its history burned away by its current occupants. Sirius hadn't lived alone in the house for the last five years. Instead he'd invited an old friend to live there, and offered to pay him to help with the continued renovation. He refused pay of course, as Remus Lupin was as stubborn as Sirius, but was pragmatic enough to live with Sirius.

"You know, you could have come along with me." Sirius said as he shrugged off his coat and handed it to the small elf that had popped into existence by the door. "Thank you Whimsy."

The elf nodded happily and popped away as Sirius stepped into the parlor and found his old friend sitting in a chair with a large bit of parchment in his lap and a book on his knee. Remus's brown hair was already beginning to hint at a bit of grey despite being the same age as Sirius and his pale blue gaze focused on Sirius as he dropped into a seat and let out a sigh. "I told you why, I didn't think it the best idea."

"Yeah, scaring them away with a werewolf?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come on Moony, you're not that scary. We ran into Moody, if that doesn't scare them off, nothing will!" He gave a bark of laughter. "Come on... you know you want to see him."

Remus sighed and ran a hand over his face before glancing down at the parchment in his lap. "Sirius... it's not that easy! Do I want to see James's kid? Of course I do... but he doesn't know me!"

"Of course he doesn't, because you didn't introduce yourself!" Sirius muttered. "You think he'll reject you because of your furry little problem? I bet the first word out of his mouth would be 'wicked'. He wasn't raised in this world Remus, he won't care you're a werewolf."

"Yeah... and his parents will order silver bullets." Remus grumbled. "Damn it Padfoot, I told you no!"

"Well, you better make yourself scarce tomorrow then, old chum... as I invited them over for dinner tomorrow along with Ted, Andy, and... Dora." Sirius snickered at the last bit and Remus let out a low growl of irritation. "Oh come on Moony, don't be moody."

"Don't you dare start this again," Remus stammered as he focused on the book in his lap. "Merlin's grace, she's thirteen years younger than me!"

"Ah yes, a powerful magic number isn't it?" Sirius said with a grin. "Come on Moony, don't be a celibate old man... no one likes them!"

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Must you bring this up every time since Dora turned of age?"

"Well, she's on the market since Charlie ran off to play with dragons, and she likes you..." Sirius teased.

Remus harrumphed and ignored him, turning back toward his book.

"Honestly, I don't know what she sees in a tired old wolf like you!" Sirius muttered as he stood and headed up the stairs. "So are you going to stick around for the party tomorrow?"

Remus let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine..."

"Excellent!" Sirius said as he headed down the hall.

An hour and a half drive to the west, Hermione and Harry had just finished unloading their purchases and piling them up on the table. Hedwig had been taken up to his room and Harry stared a bit perplexed at the suggested means of caring for his feathered companion.

_As familiars, trained owls are neither fully wild nor truly domesticated creatures. Like cats, many prefer to hunt on their own for food and sport. It's suggested that you allow your owl to hunt freely when not on postal delivery and that her cage or roost be kept in a room with an open window most of the time._

With a shrug Harry opened the window and cage door. He carefully held up his arm allowing the snowy owl to clamber onto his arm and slowly pull her from the cage. Once free she flapped her wings once to stretch them and hooted softly. "This is your home now Hedwig... why don't you go explore it for a bit?" The owl answered with a funny looking bob of her head and fluttered off his arm to the top of his dresser and slowly looked around the room.

Downstairs Hermione was helping her mother with various potion ingredients. She stared a bit surprised when her Mum pulled out a large tray of Tupperware containers and zip lock bags. "Let's see here..." She muttered as she examined a few of the bottled or pickled ingredients. "Well... if they're pickled or bottled I suppose we can put them in the pantry or a cupboard. The others... I think we should put them in these." She tapped the Tupperware, "Just to keep them from spoiling or reacting with each other."

"Okay Mum." Hermione said as she started by taking a large bag full of nettles and moving it into a Tupperware bowl. Dan sat the two pewter cauldrons they'd bought atop the counter and headed to the study with one of the huge bags of books.

The moment he left the room, he called. "Jean! Do you think we should move some of these? Damn... I'll need to get another bookcase or two."

It took quite a while to find some place for all the books they now had, not to mention the cauldrons and other tools that the two had bought. By then Jean was bustling about the kitchen trying to scrounge up a meal while Harry and Hermione contemplated what to try first.

After supper the two of them decided to open up their books and start their studies in the magical sciences with runes, both of them having their curiosity peaked by the rune shaped scar on Harry's forehead.

Inside they found a huge variety of different runes, their uses and explanations as to how they worked, but by the time they had read up on one enough to try it, they were both exhausted from their busy day and headed to bed without getting a chance to try.

The next morning, Harry was woken by a screech from Hedwig as a small black owl fluttered into the room carrying a note. It sped off after dropping the letter on his bed and disappeared into the morning light.

He tore open the letter and blinked in surprise as he quickly read it.

_Dear Grangers and Harry,_

_I realize that I forgot to tell you my residence when I invited you to dinner tonight. My address is Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington Borough, London. I've invited my remaining (decent) relatives as well as a few friends one of whom I think will greatly interest Harry._

_Sincerely,_

_Sirius Black_

Harry grinned at the note and set it on the dresser before starting his morning routine, after getting dressed he scrambled down the stairs and set the note on the table. As Jean set a large rasher of bacon and sausage on the table he spoke up. "Mum, Sirius sent us a post."

"Oh, good..." Jean said after quickly reading the note. "Hopefully we won't get too lost."

In Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black stared in surprise as his fireplace blazed with green flames and a man's head appeared in the middle of the flames. He had a long silvery beard and spectacles that sat atop a nose that looked crooked, like it'd been broken in two places long ago.

"Sirius, if you don't mind... I'd like to speak to you a bit before dinner tonight." Albus Dumbledore asked politely.

"Of course... come on over then." Sirius said and the wizard stepped through the green flames and dusted off a bit of smoke and ash from his robes as he straightened up. He wore purple robes decorated with crescent moons and stars and a pointed wizard's cap atop his head.

"Thank you Sirius, I heard from McGongall that you at last found the boy... is he here?" Dumbledore asked as he glanced around the house for a moment.

"No, but he'll be here tonight... I wasn't about to steal him away from a loving home." Sirius said with a faint smile. "How is Hogwarts? I heard Charity complaining a bit about how Lucius got his own man into the muggle studies position again."

"He has a great deal of influence with the board of governors... as he is one of them." Dumbledore said with a faint smile. "Miss Burbage would make an excellent Muggle Studies professor, but Lucius had a candidate approved by the board almost immediately."

"What happened to Quirrel?" Sirius asked with an arched eyebrow.

Albus sighed. "Quirrel decided to go on sabbatical to learn about the Dark Arts... he has volunteered to take the Defense post once he returns."

Sirius sighed. "So the curse is still in place..."

"Unfortunately." Albus said as he glanced around the room. "I see you and Whimsy have been very busy. This is the brightest I can ever remember seeing this house."

"Just because my name is black, doesn't mean I like dark decor." Sirius observed before waving Albus to a chair. "So... what is this about?"

Albus sighed. "To business I see... yes, well. I can understand that." He leaned back in his chair. "I was wondering about Mr. Potter's safety. Living as a muggle with this family for all these years, I am afraid whatever protection his mother offered him has failed and you know as well as I that dark forces continue to look for the boy."

Sirius scowled at that. "What do you suggest, wards? A surrogate family?"

"I am uncertain... if his mother's protections still linger, it is possible that moving Harry to the Dursleys will augment it, as they are Lily's only remaining blood relatives." Albus said simply. "The boy must be protected as Voldemort has not yet been permanently defeated."

Sirius stood and walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a tumbler as well as a bottle of Ogden's fire whiskey. He poured himself a bit and stared at the amber liquid. "I already signed over guardianship to the Grangers."

Dumbledore's eyes widened and he stared at Sirius. "You know they are not legally allowed to be magical guardians..."

"I'm not stupid Albus, I still have magical guardianship... I signed over mundane guardianship rights." He scowled at Dumbledore. "They are a family, as hard as it is for me to admit it, Harry is happy with them... The muggleborn girl is his sister in all but blood! You should see them. His... adopted parents love the both of them. Can you honestly tell me Harry would be loved like that in the Dursley's home? Lily never talked about her sister with me or James... considering how much she talked about Severus and her parents, doesn't that tell you something?"

"What of his safety?" Albus asked. "Surely once his address becomes known he will be vulnerable."

"Eventually... right now most everyone thinks he's dead!" Sirius took drank a shot and sighed. "Until people see him on the streets or at Hogwarts, that view will hold."

"And if Lucius bothers to check the student roster?" Albus asked and Sirius blanched at that.

"Fine... he needs protection, but I will not agree to anything that separates him from the Grangers." Sirius stated firmly. "I won't deny the boy a decent home... Merlin knows I owe the Potter's for giving me one."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he nodded. "I understand Sirius, Merlin knows they looked after you when you left this... well, it was a dark home."

Sirius chuckled before setting his tumbler down by the cabinet. "The Grangers brought up something that I've been thinking about a great deal... Dan, the father, noticed that the exchange rate for pounds and galleons didn't match the value of gold in the muggle economy."

Albus furrowed his brow. "It has been a long time since I had any dealing with muggles... what specifically did he mean by that Sirius?"

"Well... I think Bogrod explained it better than I ever could... but essentially, the galleon's gold value makes it worth ten times as many pounds as the ministry exchange rate suggests." Sirius said. "Apparently the value of muggle money is not related to the value of gold at all... hence why it has changed so much since the exchange rate was set."

"Fascinating... and this has had some negative effect then?" Albus asked.

"Well... most of the poorer members of our world buy their groceries in the muggle world. It's costing the Weasleys ten times what it should just to feed their children." Sirius said naming the poorest pureblood family he could think of. "At its true value it should cost Molly just two galleons to buy a week's worth of food... perhaps three considering how big an appetite her boys probably have. Instead it costs her twenty to thirty."

Albus's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "That would make a very substantial difference... and help ease the burden of their children a great deal."

"Yes... it will have a large number of side affects... I've been speaking with Bogrod the goblin about crafting a law to correct this at the next wizengamot session. Since you are here, perhaps you can lend me a bit of assistance." Sirius said as he stood.

"It would be a pleasure Sirius... rare is it that I find one looking out for the Weasleys." Dumbledore said.

The two of them shut themselves in the study after a small lunch and set to work. Albus's years of experience in the wizengamot showed through as he hunted down all the laws that affected the exchange, which were a surprisingly large number, most of which dated back to the 1800s. As the afternoon slowly burned away, and Whimsy appeared with a tea service, Sirius felt that he might have a decent start on the law scratched into the parchment before him.

As Albus explained, proposing a piece of legislation was all about making it appear to be beneficial to those that were voting on it. For the pureblood elite, this equaled increased buying power over such things as property. Albus told him, how he should use examples of how much it cost them to purchase a new townhouse at the current exchange from a muggle family through the wizarding real estate office and after the change in valuation.

As Sirius finished his tea the door bell rang and the man stood. When it opened, all three of the Tonks stood waiting out the door. Nymphadora's hair was a curly blond like her father's at that moment, and she wore her usual punk clothes: a T-shirt for the weird sisters, a set of worn and torn jeans, and a studded black leather jacket. If her hair was in its usual pink she easily would have been mistaken for a muggle rocker.

Her father wore a leather dinner jacket, trousers, and a button up shirt that marked him as a muggleborn in that he looked like a muggle. On the other hand, Andromeda's robes screamed the opposite. Despite the clash of styles and clothes, Sirius could see that the three were very much a tight knit family, grown all the tighter with Andromeda's reinstatement into the Black family.

"Hello cousin! Ted, Dora... Come in, I think Whimsy will be happy to take your coats, cloaks, or jackets..." Sirius said glancing at the little elf who was grinning at the appearance of more guests. "Albus is in the study, if you'd like to talk to him... we've been doing a bit of work."

"Thank you Sirius." Andromeda Tonks said with a faint smile as Ted helped her up the steps. Nymphadora grinned at Sirius before patting Whimsy on the head and glancing around the room. "So... just you and Dumbledore?"

"Oh Remus went looking for work, he'll be back." Sirius said after a moment. "Come on in... would you like some tea before dinner starts?"

Before any of them could answer a Saab slowly drove along the street and stopped before the number 13 letterbox. As Sirius glanced that way he broke into a grin. "Of course... one moment..." He strode down the walk and over to the Saab idling and knocked lightly on the front window. Inside Dan Granger jumped and looked up at him. "Lost?"

The window slowly rolled down and Dan let out a sigh. "I can't find number 12. Sirius... is this one of your magical defenses or something?"

"Actually, it is... I forgot the place was unplotable." Sirius said after a moment. "It's right between 11 and 13, right where you'd think it'd be..."

"Then we'll just park." Dan said before shutting down the engine. "Come on you guys... stop reading. We're here!"

Sirius laughed as the two kids in back seemed to jump in surprise before slamming shut their books. A moment later they scrambled out of the car, grinning as their parents fell in behind them. Sirius amused himself to watch their reactions as Number 12 Grimmauld Place appeared before them. Dan's jaw seemed to work for a long moment before he spoke up. "Keeps solicitors away at least, eh?"

Sirius snorted as he led them to the door and beckoned them inside. They had not gone more than a few feet before all four of them jumped in surprise as Whimsy popped into existence beside them clad in a quilt she'd fashioned into something vaguely resembling a summer dress. "Whimsy will take your coats... Dinner shall be ready within the hour Master Sirius."

Slowly Dan handed over his coat and Whimsy popped away. At that moment Hermione and Harry looked up at Sirius. "What was that?"

"That's just Whimsy, my house-elf... think of her as a butler, gardener, and cook all rolled into one." Sirius said with a faint smile. "She's a very nice girl, a bit odd but most elves are. My last one was a bit of a nutter."

Sirius was surprised when none of them commented on him being addressed as Master, perhaps it meant something different in muggle England. With a shrug he led them into a parlor. "Now... you know, Dora... but the rest of my guest's need a bit of introduction."

Harry had followed Sirius, his gaze flicking around the halls and staring at a number of the moving paintings he saw on the walls. There were framed photos of a group that included what looked like his dad. Most of the paintings were simple landscapes, with moving cows and even a rather modern looking painting of a bunch of young adult witches and wizards buzzing around on broomsticks tossing a bright red ball between them while dodging black balls that looked almost like cannonballs.

Sirius made a rather theatrical bow and waved his hand toward the three scattered in seats around the room. "May I present, the Tonks... my only relatives worth much of anything except galleons." He smiled to Harry as he pointed out each of them. "This one is Andromeda, my cousin... Her husband Ted and you all know Nymphadora..."

"Merlin's left nut, stop calling me that!" Dora said with a groan as her hair turned a fiery red and she sent a pointed glare.

At that moment a man with a long silvery beard stepped into the room. Harry stared at his purple robes decorated with golden stars and crescent moons before catching the twinkle of his eyes behind a set of gold rimmed glasses. Sirius smirked. "And this... this is Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, recipient of the Order of Merlin, Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Hermione let out a squeak and Harry gaped as he stared up at the man... This, this was his headmaster? The man looked positively ancient, and clad in those purple robes with the pointed hat... He was such the muggle stereotype Harry wondered for half a second if Sirius was joking. Suddenly Dumbledore seemed to smile beneath his beard. "Of course... aside for the title of Headmaster, most of that was complete gibberish."

"Well, we do know what the Wizengamot is." Hermione said primly.

"Oh, most excellent... you are already beginning to adjust." Dumbledore said as he nodded to the others. "Now, Sirius... since you introduced them, perhaps you shall introduce us. I'm quite sure I know the boy but as for the others..."

"Right, right..." Sirius stepped behind Harry's parents and clasped them on the shoulders. "This is Dan and Jean Granger... they've been Harry's adopted parents for... lord, nine years now?" The two nodded and blushed a bit at that. "And the bushy haired girl who is valiantly trying to decide what to ask Dumbledore first is Harry's sister in all but blood... Hermione Granger."

Hermione flushed a bright crimson at that while the adults guffawed. Dumbledore's smile widened a bit. "Of course... an eager mind is a treasure. Perhaps the House of Ravenclaw lies in your future?"

"Oh I don't know... Hermione works hard and both her and Harry stand up for each other quite a bit." Dan said with a bit of pride. "Knowledge is important to be sure... but I tend to think morality is a bit more important."

"Ah... so you've been reading up on the school... good, very good indeed." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Harry looks to be quite well. I must say I was worried when he had disappeared for nine years... I believe there was another you told me was invited?"

"Remus will be home soon enough, I'm sure." Sirius said with a grin. "Come on, I'm sure you have loads of questions for all of us."

Indeed they did, as Harry and Hermione talked with Sirius and showed them the small rune they'd drawn and charged that morning on a bit of parchment the others turned to talk about more adult things.

Dan and Jean Granger were clearly very concerned about the welfare of their children and their future in the wizarding world. It was strange, as Ted Tonks seemed to fall into the role of interpreter thanks to his muggle upbringing. Words like IQ, A-levels, and so forth were thrown around between them leaving Dumbledore, Dora, and Andy in the dust. Sirius wasn't involved. Instead his focus remained on the two kids.

"Well, before this started she tested for entry into a lot of advanced classes and her intelligence quotient is really high around 150 according to the last test." Jean said quite proudly. "Harry is smart too, not as smart but he's better in the arts and sports. He could probably have gotten into an advanced school if not for Hogwarts."

"They're both a bit of a handful." Dan said. "Especially because of their magic... I guess now we know how some of those 'incidents' at school came about."

"No doubt," Dumbledore said. "Harry is almost certainly quite powerful given his parents... and I've found that often times it muggleborns seem to be as powerful as their peers, if not more so."

"It's the damn inbreeding that's making the pure-bloods weaker." Sirius said as he rejoined the conversation. "Andy and I are lucky we came out with half a brain, ten toes, ten fingers, and two eyes at the rate this family was going, the Ancient and Noble House of Black... what a joke!"

"You forgot that they were all in the correct places Sirius." Andy said from her seat.

Ted Tonks let out a snort. "Honestly... I mean if there was any truth to the whole pureblood mania, how the hell does my daughter have one of the rarest talents around? That must be one bloody rare recessive gene."

"From what we've read... I have to say it reminds me of what's been, or at least used to, happen in the nobility. Everyone's trying to gain wealth through marrying their wealthy brethren, and if that's the only people you're going to marry well... the gene pool shrinks mighty fast. Even the Royals are loosening up on their whole pedigree restrictions." Jean said. "It's madness... As far as I can tell they're not even going with the old royal 'heir and a spare' route either. How many pureblood families just have one child?"

"Heir and a spare?" Sirius asked the room. "Oh hell... that explains me and Reggie."

"The Malfoy does just have one come to think of it. Most of them do unless their firstborn was a daughter." Andy said quietly. "In a generation the number would plummet."

"Indeed it would..." Albus said. "Many of us have seen this pattern coming for many years... the merging of noble lines at this rate will ultimately end the pure-bloods as a distinct group. There are only a finite number of noble lines, and when they only merge with each other... the number shrinks. As the number shrinks, those that remain cling all the more to their ideals about blood purity accelerating the process. Of course, this has only been exacerbated by how current economic policy and exchange work. The Muggleborn and half-blood population working in the muggle world has had an economic advantage over their peers thanks to the galleon valuation."

Ted Tonks gave a very predatory smile at that point and Andy flushed. "You mean the five pounds to the galleon exchange rate... a rate that has not changed since I went to Hogwarts?"

"Yes... we brought up the matter with the goblins." Dean said.

"I work as a weatherman for the Surrey area... My money comes from the muggle economy and aside for a small amount for groceries and other mundane essentials I exchange it for galleons. Andy and I have managed quite well, despite how she was disinherited and disowned... at least until Sirius reversed it." Ted grinned. "The Ministry pays me to help cover up for stupid things our kind does on occasion... including helping hide the celebrations after You-Know-Who died. After twenty years, we've managed to accumulate almost as much in our vault as we would have gotten from her inheritance."

Albus stared. "Considering the Black fortune..."

"It was a substantial amount of gold." Andy said. "Of course when Sirius brought us back into the family, he had to give me enough to double it."

"Andy, it's not like I can take away the money my mum and dad gave your sisters... I would love to, so I just gave you as much as they got... with interest." Sirius grinned at that.

Andy snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if Cissy screamed when she found out."

"Probably..." Sirius allowed with a grin. "Now... where is our last guest?" He scowled for a moment before pulling out his wand. _"Expecto Patronum!" _Sirius snapped and a glowing silvery white stag tumbled out of his wand and pranced about the room before coming to a stop before him. "Prongs find Moony and tell him to get back here before Whimsy has to start putting preservation charms on things."

With a flash the stag disappeared. Harry and Hermione stared at where it'd been and gaped. "Wow..."

A few seconds later a man with brown hair and a rather tired and worn expression popped into existence in the middle of the room and scowled at Sirius. "Padfoot... You're still an impatient man."

"Everyone who does not know him... this is Remus Lupin, my closest friend." Sirius said as he stepped up to Remus and pulled him into a brotherly hug. "Now... Harry Potter, get over here... meet Uncle Moony!"

"AWESOME!" Harry said before shooting toward the two of them and hugging them both. Hermione giggled furiously as Sirius let out a bark of laughter and Remus looked down at Harry.

"Oh damn it Padfoot..." Remus grumbled before messing up the boy's hair and kneeling down before him. "I'm not really your uncle Harry."

"No, you're like Padfoot is, right? A friend of my Dad's," Harry said.

"Yes I was..." Remus admitted. "I suppose a bit of a more honest introduction in order, you see—"

"Remus has a furry little problem." Sirius said suddenly. "He gets a bit furry around a certain time of the month."

"DAMN IT PADFOOT!" Remus snapped. "Do you have to do this every time I tell someone I'm a werewolf?"

"Wicked..." Harry said as his parents looked at each other rather horrified. Hermione just stared.

"Oh bollocks," Remus muttered as Sirius burst into laughter.


	6. A Dangerous World

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 6:** A Dangerous World

* * *

"A werewolf?" Jean Granger stammered. "Oh lord... if witches, wizards, goblins, and werewolves are real I suppose... Wraiths? Red Caps? Ogres? Trolls? Hinkypunks? DRAGONS?"

"Oh yes, they're all very real." Dumbledore said from his seat. "Though, some aren't exactly the same as muggle myth would make them." He glanced at Remus. "Werewolves are a good example... yes, and they are dangerous on the full moon and only the full moon. It's a disease that has persisted for centuries... even muggles sometimes get infected. Unfortunately those that contract the curse... well, they're treated no better than muggles used to treat lepers, often times they are treated much worse."

"So... he's not dangerous right now, then?" Dan said glancing at Remus. "Honestly... he looks a bit worn."

"The curse... takes a severe toll on the body." Remus said quietly. "Human bodies aren't meant to turn into the shape of a wolf... and while animagus magic manages to be painless after the first transformation, the same can't be said for... becoming the monster once a month."

"I guess it would be... the legends all suggested it was." Jean said quietly. "So you are safe?"

"For now... it'll be a few weeks before it's the full moon again." Remus said. "I... Isolate myself to ensure I don't bite anyone during the full moon."

"He puts himself in a bloody cage." Sirius said with a sigh. "And I have to baby sit him... even when he takes the wolfsbane potion... he's terrified of spreading his bloody disease."

"Well... if more werewolves were as careful as he is, there wouldn't be as many infected." Albus said in a rather diplomatic tone. "Delores Umbridge continues to block any effort to extended ministry assistance to werewolf treatment research or subsidies to make the wolf's bane potion available."

"She would rather see Remus executed then lift a hand to help people like him... he sees them as non-human, the bloody bitch." Sirius snapped. "I wish she'd do something blatantly illegal so we could get rid of her."

Albus sighed as he stood up. "I will not lie to you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger... the Wizarding World is a dangerous one, it is no wonder that among the core subjects of Hogwarts is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Magic, much like your muggle technology is a tool that can be used to the great benefit of mankind or to its great detriment. Yes, there are great dangers in our world, but there are also wonders beyond imagining. I am certain you met our grumpy friends the Goblins at Gringotts, seen Sirius's House-elf, and perhaps read a bit in the books you found after your visit to Gringotts. There are all sorts of magical creatures and beings living upon this small globe." A flash of flame filled the room.

The Grangers stared in shock as a bird the size of a swan appeared in the center of the room, it's wings spread and long tail splayed out. Clasped in one talon was a note that it proceeded to hand to the aged headmaster before settling on his shoulder. A faint smile played across his lips. "Fawkes, I was just about to call you..." Albus said before the bird sang a happy note that seemed to bleed away all the tension in the room. The headmaster glanced at the note and sighed. "Oh dear... does he want an answer this already, old friend?"

Fawkes gave a short chirp and bobbed his head.

"Surely it can wait until after dinner." Albus said before slipping the note into a robe pocket. "Now... where were we, oh yes... the wonders of the Magical World?" He smiled faintly before glancing at Fawkes. "This is Fawkes my familiar, she's a—"

"Phoenix." Jean said.

"Yes... I gather you have heard of them then?" Albus said.

Jean Granger blushed faintly. "I had a minor in mythology in school... I guess, some knowledge of your world has leeched into ours."

"We were not completely separate worlds until 1692 when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was adopted... though by the seventeenth century many of our kind had gone into hiding as witch hunts and burnings ran rampant. The exchange of knowledge between magical and mundane society was much more common before those times. I believe muggles still revere the theoretical work of Mr. Newton? He was a close friend to a wizarding alchemist named Robert Boyle, I think. There are other examples of this throughout our history to be sure. When the Statute of Secrecy went into effect, it tore apart our societies rather forcibly."

"So are the Hydra, Drake, and Cerberus? They're all real?" Jean asked quietly.

"Yes... though it has been centuries since a Hydra has been sighted, and Drakes are... well. I believe Dora's friend Charlie Weasley is rather obsessed with their larger cousins. As for the Cerberus, I believe a close friend of mine owns one... They are dreadfully useful guard dogs, aside for their tendency to fall asleep after a few verses of music." Dumbledore said with a slight smile.

What proceeded afterward was one of the strangest question and answer sessions any in the house had ever seen. Armed with her knowledge of mythology, Jean would ask a blistering array of questions about everything from the multi-headed trolls of Norse Myth to the Kobold.

"Kobold... Kobold... oh, perhaps you mean the Kobolt of the Germanic Mines? Oh yes, they are real... I believe that they have an economic and trade agreement with the goblins, but are even less likely to work with witches or wizards. Grindelwald drove many of them into revolt during his reign." Dumbledore answered.

Overall, it seemed that a picture of the world that was filled with various dangers was emerging, one that both Grangers were growing more hesitant to allow their children to enter. Still, if Remus was what they could expect from a werewolf they were beginning to wonder just how overblown many of those dangers had to be. Remus seemed to be, as far from an aggressive monster as was humanly possible, and his eyes seemed to light up every time Harry or Hermione asked him a question.

He looked like a poor professor or schoolteacher with his threadbare clothes and his cautious friendly manner seemed to put them at ease.

"So are you really like Sirius? Were you a friend of my dad's?" Harry asked.

"Yes I was..." Remus said quietly. "Sirius, your father, and myself were very close friends during our time at Hogwarts. There was one other person that was a friend of ours at the time but... he turned against us and disappeared."

"Why would anyone do that?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." Remus admitted in a low voice as if trying to avoid Sirius's hearing. "I don't know why Peter made the choice he did."

It was at that moment that Dumbledore spoke up, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. "I am afraid, that even if you do not send Harry and Hermione to Hogwarts, that the dangers of our world could easily come to you." He folded his hands over his stomach and frowned. "Perhaps you remember a rash of deaths in the 1970s attributed to carbon monoxide and so forth?"

"Not really..." Dan said. "I take it this was how you covered up deaths during your apparent war?"

"One of them." Dumbledore said. "I believe that was the favorite of the Muggleworthy Excuse Committee at the time. Roughly one-thousand muggles lost their lives during the last war along with several hundred magicals, entire families were all but wiped out. The Bones family name, I believe, will disappear after this generation, as will the Prewitts. Many who carried out those crimes have escaped justice, and they retain a loyalty to the man that killed Harry's parents. No doubt, his defeat by the child as an infant will make him a target, once it is learned that he is both alive and in the muggle world. I would like to setup magical defenses around your home to ensure his safety..."

Dan and Jean glanced at each other and swallowed nervously. "You believe they'll come after us?"

"I can almost guarantee it, Mrs. Granger. These are very vindictive individuals we are discussing." Albus Dumbledore said. "We have means of protecting a location through magical wards and other defenses."

The most powerful of which are the Fidelis Charm, though in this case that may be excessive..." The old man pursed his lips in thought and pulled out his wand. "Miss Granger, Mr. Potter... could you come here for a moment?" The two children stepped toward him as his eyes began to twinkle. Hermione squirmed slightly under his gaze while Harry looked resolutely up at them. "Yes... I wonder." He lightly pushed his wand against Harry's chest and muttered under his breath. A bright red light seemed to flash into existence at the wand tip blocking it. The Professor nodded to himself and smiled. "Tell me, Mr. Potter... Did that hurt?"

"No... It seemed to tickle a bit." Harry said as he glanced up at the Professor.

"My leading theory for Mr. Potter's survival that night was that his mother evoked ancient magic and cast a form of limited blood ward around her child... You see, sometimes, magic responds to our intentions, vows can be made binding, deals magically enforced, and so forth. Your mother loved you dearly, she would have certainly tried to bargain for your life... creating a magical vow of sorts sealed in the blood of her sacrifice. I can tap this vow to create a ward scheme to protect your home, but I am uncertain of its strength. Normally blood wards are reinforced by living with those of relation to the binder." Dumbledore chewed his lip thoughtful and stopped on seeing that Harry had tearing up.

"She... she gave her life for mine? My... my..." Harry stuttered and suddenly felt an arm on his shoulder.

"We would too sweetie..." Jean said behind her. "In an instant... we'd do it. We love you, we love you both." She pulled Hermione into the hug as well. "You're worth everything to us."

Dumbledore watched them for a moment before glancing at Sirius. "You are a lucky boy Harry. To have two sets of such loving parents is a gift..." As Harry wiped away his tears and the hug broke up, Dumbledore continued. "Blood magic of this sort is poorly understood at best, even by one such as myself with over a century of experience to draw upon. I had expected the protection to have faded, but it has not in the least." He glanced around the room. "As the magic is bound in blood I thought remaining at blood relatives would be essential, however... this does not seem to be the case."

"Oh thank Merlin." Sirius said. "I'd rather not see Harry taken to the Dursleys..."

"You mean... I have relatives? Blood relatives?" Harry asked looking astounded.

Sirius nodded his head gravely. "They're not very nice people... I checked on them while searching for you Harry and, well... there's a reason your mother never spoke about her sister. Your Aunt Petunia Dursley, her husband, and son are the only relatives you have left, besides your adopted family."

"Oh..." Harry said looking a bit saddened. "But I have you and Remus, and Mum and Dad, and Mione..."

"Yes Harry, you have a very loving family. If I would hazard a guess, I would say it was that love, which has kept you protected by your mother's sacrifice. Love is a magic all its own, one that has bound you and your new family together. I would not separate you from them." He said before glancing back at Sirius. "I am uncertain though, without the presence of a blood relative, I am uncertain that a ward could be powered. I would suggest the Gringotts Goblins install a complete ward scheme for your home. Unfortunately we'll have to see about finding some way to protect your home's electricity and muggle technology."

"Well, that's good then..." Dan said.

Harry grinned. "Would... would adding our own things help make us safer? Mione and I found some cool runes and hex signs we'd like to try."

"Certainly... just be sure they will not reveal our world." Albus said and his smile widened. "Yes... a proper hex sign on the door would appear to most muggles as nothing more than a bit of decoration, I could see that being most useful. Perhaps you can find one that keeps solicitors at bay?"

"COOL!" Harry said with a grin. "You think it's in that book Mione?"

"We'll find it Harry." She said with a grin.

Soon the whole group sat down around the dinner table. Sirius and Remus regaled Harry and Hermione with stories about his parents, Hogwarts, and various other things. The older Grangers focused on Dumbledore and the Tonks asking about the school, the world, and dozens of other subjects. There were questions about employment, politics, economics, and other factors.

By the time dinner was over, the two kids had grown rather fond of Sirius and Remus. They formed a sort of straight-man routine at times with Remus being the straight man while Sirius was the more the clown. Harry and Hermione were in stitches after hearing about some of the antics Harry's father had gotten into.

The Grangers were more and more worried though by what they heard. Remus as an example of a werewolf seemed to offset their concerns somewhat, but there was so much more danger in their world then either of them was used to. Dan saw that his wife was pale at the discussion, reminding him of when he'd been called up for the Falklands. This was worse though. This was their two kids going off into another world where vampires, dragons, and werewolves existed.

"Well..." Dumbledore said finally. "I can see from your expressions you have a number of concerns about the world your children are entering."

"Yes." Jean said immediately. "I don't want them hurt..."

"It's too late to tell them no." Dan said quietly. "I'm not even sure we legally can with the way their guardianship works." He let out a sigh. "What can we do to make sure they're safe?"

"We can take precautions, and while I do like to say that Hogwarts is the safest place to keep anything... it's also a school where we teach children to use one of the most dangerous forces in the world... Magic." Albus smiled softly. "Children do get hurt, but it's been over fifty years since any have been irreparably harmed. I would not be surprised if there are not lab accidents in muggle schools, fights, and various other things... when you add in magic, well I'm sure you can imagine that the results."

Jean paled faintly at that and Dan sighed. "So... how do we prepare them?"

"The trace will not be activated on them until they return to your home after their first year. In that year, let them practice, explore, test, and learn. The better prepared and practiced they are, the better off will they be both in lessons as in protecting themselves." Dumbledore said. "While I would not suggest letting them practice any of the nastier jinxes or curses they are likely to find, I would suggest that you let them practice the most defensive of charms." He smiled faintly at that. "I am certain that Sirius and Remus would love to help prepare them."

"What do you mean by the most defensive of charms?" Jean asked quietly.

Ted Tonks leaned forward at that and smiled faintly. "The Disarming Charm, Stunning Spell, and Shield Charm are probably the three most defensive charms around, but each of them is above first year level. Of course, they are just about the bread and butter of any proper duel between wizards."

Dan arched an eyebrow. "By stunning you mean-"

"Set Phasers to Stun?" Ted said with a smirk. "Yeah, that's exactly what I mean."

"Stunning and Shielding would probably be more advanced than I would suggest they attempt." Dumbledore said. "The Disarming Charm and Knockback Jinx would suffice for most anything they encountered in their first year."

Andromeda sighed. "I hope you're right, it's likely that the Malfoy and Nott boys will have been taught some mean curses before they steps foot in Hogwarts. My mother was rather insistent that I know some rather dark magic before I went to school."

Albus ran a hand through his beard. "You are likely correct in that... perhaps we should simply teach them those two spells and see how swiftly they grasp the magic."

Dora grinned. "Remus has been looking for a job. You know... perhaps you could hire him to do a bit of tutoring."

Remus glanced up from Harry and Hermione. "Did someone say my name?"

"Would you be up for doing a bit of tutoring?" Tonks said from where she sat.

"Dora... you're an Auror in training, you don't need my help." Remus said.

There was a snort of laughter from Andromeda at that. "Lupin, would you be available to tutor those two beside you..."

At this, Remus's syes widened slightly and he glanced to the two children. "Tutor them? Well... umm... I'd love to but I'm not sure I feel comfortable taking money for-"

"Nonsense... This is great for you Moony, you get to play with Harry a bit... teach him some spells, and get paid for your trouble." Sirius said.

Harry and Hermione looked up at Remus with a hopeful gleam in their eyes. After a long moment Remus slumped and let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll do it? How often and how much?"

"We pay fifteen pounds a half hour for music lessons... maybe about the same, what? Six galleons an hour, dear?" Jean suggested and smiled when he nodded. "Well... How about this coming weekend? We'll see how much time we'll have to work with them."

"That, that sounds fine... I'd certainly be willing to help with these two." Remus grinned faintly at the two children.

"Right then... we're all set and prepared for the dangers of your world, for now anyway." Dan Granger said. "Now... we really need to get those two home, they have school in the morning."

"I will make sure you receive the full suite of wards that Gringott's offers..." Dumbledore said. "Do not worry about the expense. I believe I owe you for keeping the boy these past nine years." He smiled kindly at Harry before continuing. "I will also test them myself."

"Thank you Headmaster." Jean said as she stood. "Thank you Sirius for the food... But we really must be going." She was heading for the door when the elf appeared with their coats.

Slowly the Grangers managed to usher the two kids through the door.

"I'll send you an Owl on that Quidditch match... I think Holyhead vs. Puddlemere will be a good one." Sirius said before grinning at the group. "We really must do this again sometime."

"Thanks Uncle Sirius." Harry said as the door closed. "It was fun!"


	7. Amongst Mere Mortals

_Author's Note: Well, first off… let me say, I've been busy and really haven't had time to devote to fanfiction while I've been working on some original stories (I've got a story out to an agent and sent a short to Analog… I had some stuff for EON Magazine, but alas… they're shutting down.)_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 7:** Amongst Mere Mortals

* * *

The next day was a Monday, and the two children that lived on Canon Street went to bed under the rather strict guidance of their parent. The next morning, Harry and Hermione scrambled down early for a quick breakfast before heading to the door. Jean Granger held out her hand with a knowing expression. "Wands?"

With a sigh Harry and Hermione handed over their wands. Already the Grangers had set down some rules on magic. For one thing, neither child was allowed to talk about it at school, bring any of their books, or, and perhaps most importantly, their wands.

Hermione started talking about their assignments for class as they walked to the car. As they left on the school run, the two kids fell silent after a few minutes contemplating what they would find in school today. They weren't the most popular lot after all, with their accidental magic and all.

Despite everything, Hermione's day began rather normally after they'd been dropped off at school. Mrs. Bridges took roll and started in on their subject for the start of the day, English. She took notes while Harry sat a few desks away struggling to keep his attention on the class, by lunch it was clear he'd lost the struggle and sat daydreaming until Hermione sat across from him with her tray.

"It's hard, isn't it?" She said quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah... I don't know how I'm going to keep my mind on class Mione... not with everything else."

"We'll manage." She said brightly. "Plus, now we know we're special."

A snort from behind her made Hermione close her eyes and sigh. The hulking form of the boy that had been the pair's bane at school leaned over them.

John Wilcox was a large boy, nearly a head taller then Hermione and a giant compared to Harry's short frame. He had curly black hair and wore a perpetually sneering expression that ground on both of them. His voice was whiny and high-pitched, seemingly in mockery of his large body.

"Special? Well, does that mean the circus finally called and asked for you back?" Wilcox asked.

"No, we've just got accepted to our school for next year?" Hermione said with a tone that was almost haughty. "Has your father bought you entry into a Grammar School yet, Wilcox?"

"Shut it Granger... you and Potter think you're all that with your freaky powers and top marks? But I know you're nothing more than the teacher's pet freaks!" He said.

With a bang Harry stood and glared up at the boy. "SHUT UP JOHN! If anyone in school is a freak, it's you... Did you get your bits caught in a sausage maker, or were you born with that whiny voice?"

"Why I oughtta..."

"POTTER, WILCOX!" A voice shouted over the pair and Hermione let out a sigh of relief as Mrs. Bridges stood over the boy, her eyes narrowed at both boys. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing Mrs. Bridges... Wilcox was baiting me again, I'm sorry for snapping." Harry said as he sat down in a huff.

Mrs. Bridges nodded and turned her glare full on to Wilcox. "Now... Mr. Wilcox, I must wonder if you put more effort into your work as you do with harassing Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter, you might not already be behind on your homework. Do you want me to call your father about it?"

"No, Mrs. Bridges." Wilcox growled as he turned away from them and stomped toward his seat at another table.

As they were left alone, Hermione leaned over. "Harry, you need to control yourself... we can't slip up. I want to go, and we won't if we blow their world's existence wide open before we're even there."

"I know... I just can't stand him." Harry growled. "Why does he think he's all that?"

Hermione sighed. Sometimes she just didn't understand people's behavior.

* * *

Sirius Black sat back in the study of number 12 Grimmauld Place, the parchment before him filled with legal discourse and wordings that even he had trouble discerning despite being the author. Across from him Albus Dumbledore sat with a rather bemused expression on his face while Elphias Doge paced as he read one of the copies of the proposed law in his hands.

Finally, the old man stopped and pursed his lips. "Why? Why bother? It's not something that affects all that many of us, is it?"

"I am afraid it affects a great many more people than you believe Elphias. Consider the Weasleys... how much of their hard earned funds are spent by Molly at the local grocer? Or any of the half-bloods that live amongst the muggles... I do have to say that I'm saddened this will disadvantage muggle-borns in many ways but its fundamental argument is sound." Albus said. "We can take measures to assist muggle-born children, as a school fund for disadvantaged witches and wizards has long existed, but never really been of much need except for cases of extreme poverty. The simple reduction of food costs will reduce the financial burden on the poorer elements of our society and for the pure-bloods... well, if they should choose to use their apparent new wealth to purchase more lands from muggles for our own use, who are we to disagree. The goblins are not opposed to this change, as they make money regardless."

"It's the equivalent of a tenfold increase in the exchange rate." Doge stammered.

"And that is how we shall spin it to the pureblood faction... but according to the goblins we'll merely be changing the value from an artificially created one to the true value of the galleon compared to the muggle pound." Sirius said.

"But... What about the incoming muggle-born this year?" Doge asked. "I mean... they'll surely be caught in a lurch... will they be able to afford anything, and what about prices? Surely this will cause all sorts of economic disruptions."

"And not doing it leaves us vulnerable in case someone wises up to the enormous vulnerability this represents." Sirius said. "Say someone like Dung Fletcher got ahold of this information. He decides, well... to get his galleons weight in gold and goes to the muggle world and sells it for pounds, he comes back and exchanges it for galleons and for every galleon he spent he gets ten back!"

"Oh..." Doge said after a long moment. "Merlin! That's possible?"

"As entertaining as taking advantage of that appears..." The goblin Bogrod said from his seat in the corner after a long moment. "The economic repercussions of such an act would be monumental... devaluation, hyperinflation, and all other sorts of dangerous things."

"Dangerous..." Dumbledore said. "Yes, very dangerous indeed. I take it this was pointed out to you rather recently Sirius?"

"Yes, by the Grangers if you could believe it." Sirius said after a moment. "Now... I think we can spin this to appear to be in the pureblooded elite's favor."

"In many ways it will be." Bogrod said. "Though, they will not be happy when the valuation for their current properties plummets."

Sirius laughed. "Oh they will be very upset when that happens, won't they... they've had so much of their money tied up in property."

"It will greatly destabilize our world economically, but would prevent further such destabilization in the future then." Albus said before letting out a tired sigh. "I did not realize that the muggle pound wasn't backed in gold or silver..."

"It was a fairly recent change, as it has only been a 'floating' currency since 1971." Bogrod stated.

Sirius sighed. "Albus... do you think we can pass this?"

"Easily, with the correct packaging and arguments," Albus said as he examined the parchment again. "I will talk to my supporters, and explain it to them, I'm certain you can convince enough of the elite to support this as well."

Sirius nodded. "Certainly."

"Good, good... I will add it to the docket of the next meeting, this Wednesday." Albus said with a slight smile.

"Now, onto the next order of business... Elphias, how do you feel we should go about announcing Mr. Potter's discovery?"

Elphias Dodge pursed his lips and shrugged. "I'm surprised it isn't in the Prophet already, with him being seen in the Leaky Cauldron. Why I heard from three different people already that they saw Harry Potter."

"Word travels fast." Sirius said with a sigh. "You want me to be part of the announcement and assure that I won't force him to be returned to my custody then?"

"Of course." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye. "I must say these two muggles that have been taking care of him have impressed me a great deal already."

"We can write up a press release and send it to the Prophet then." Elphias Dodge said.

"There is one other issue with Mr. Potter, I believe?" Bogrod said from where he sat. "No doubt you wish to have his home fully warded and protected by the time the release is issued."

"Of course." Albus said. "I believe I said that I would be willing to finance the construction of those defenses."

"Good, good... I'll have a team of cursebreakers sent out this afternoon. How large is the property?" Bogrod asked.

"Well... it's not huge, and it's quite a ways out of town so you won't have to worry about neighbors at all." Sirius said. "Didn't they say something about ventilation?"

"I believe they were concerned with fumes from alchemical experiments." Albus said. "They can be quite toxic. I myself have had to use a bubblehead charm at times. Once I even got a rather nasty burn akin to a sun-burn from a flash drying the base material."

"Okay... Bogrod, would your folks mind doing a bit of renovation for the place as well?" Sirius asked.

* * *

Harry Potter sighed as he rode home in the backseat, his backpack firmly wedged between his knobby knees, and a tired expression flitting across his a face. Hermione's expression was pensive, but not the usual intense look that she normally sported thinking about going to work on her homework. The ride home was short enough, but as the car pulled into the drive Harry caught sight of the first sign that things were no longer going to be going quite as usual this time.

Three men clad in robes and a goblin stood on the lawn arguing amongst themselves.

"I'm telling you... the ley lines are fine, it's the bloody electrical lines that are going to give us hell." One of the men stammered as Jean Granger put the car in park and opened the door.

"Wright, those ley lines are going to cause bloody interference." Another man said. "Now, I think we'll need to put some compensation stones here and here..."

"But that will cause interference in the house's electrical appliances... I tell you, mate, muggle appliances are worth tweaking the design for. You wouldn't believe how much time my wife has to herself because of em. Plus this is a muggle house!" The third man said.

"Excuse me gentlemen?" Jean said. "May I ask what you're doing?"

It was the goblin that spoke first. "Quite right then, my name is Ragnot... Chief cursesbreaker of Gringott's Bank. We were instructed to install a full set of wards here."

"Oh." Jean said. "I think the headmaster said something about that."

Behind her, Harry and Hermione watched the two wizards continue arguing as Ragnot nodded. "Yes, you are?"

"Jean Granger."

"Oh, then you must be one of the owners then." Ragnot said after a moment. "Good, good... we will have to key you into the wards once they're constructed."

"But, she's a muggle!" One of the wizards said behind him.

"Muggle or not, one does not need magic to determine who may or may not enter or leave their property." Ragnot muttered.

The other wizard suddenly gasped. "Great Scott! The boy, Wallace, look at the boy!"

Harry's eyes widened slightly as both wizards rounded on him and proceeded to stare at the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. After a long moment, Wallace spoke. "It... it's Harry Potter!" He rounded on his companion. "I thought he was dead!"

"As did I… till mum said she saw him in the Leaky Cauldron this weekend."

"Blimey."

"Stop your dilly-dallying!" Ragnot snapped before rounding on the two wizards. "Time is galleons, Wallace Wright and Proctor Pieper. Gringotts did not hire you to stare at customers! Or must I remind you of your privacy oaths?"

"No... Ragnot, we remember." They said, turning pale as they spoke. "We shall endeavor to keep Mr. Potter and the family that lives here in confidence."

"Good... Now, if you could agree on how we are to protect this house, we may move on to actually installing the ward stones!" Ragnot growled. "Mrs. Granger, please excuse us... we will endeavor to keep out of your way."

"Of course," Jean said before rounding on Harry and Hermione. "Come on you two, get inside and get your homework out. I want to see it done before supper."

Harry groaned as Hermione nodded vigorously and they ran up the steps with their backpacks eager to get their schoolwork done so that they could see the curse-breakers in action.

After Harry had finished his maths and reading assignment, he hurried out onto the lawn to watch the cursebreakers, who appeared to have finally finished debating how to install a set of wards for their home. He watched as Jean Granger talked with them, holding a diagram of the property including the electrical lines, property lines, and water lines... Which, the mean promptly copied with a wave of their wands.

"Aye... look at this Wallace, these muggles have got something called 'natural gas' flowing into their home. What do you think that is?"

"Flame gas, that's what it is Proctor." Wright said. "Best be staying clear of it..." He pulled a quill from behind his ear as he spoke and drew a set of lines over the property. "Aye, and there's the ley lines... I think I can see how to do this now, eh?"

"Righto." Proctor said as he chewed his lip. "So..."

Wright hurriedly scribbled a set of notes on the paper as Harry watched, and then swung his satchel off and dropped it onto the ground beside him. Then he pulled out a large polished black stone made from obsidian from his pack and Harry's eyes widened as he saw the vast array of runes and glyphs carved in its surface. "Let's get to work."

The two wizards walked along the property line, burying runic stones every few feet and charging them with a wave of their wands. After they'd made their way around the whole property, they walked to the corners of the house and planted a large piece of sandstone at each corner, which they proceeded to carve a set of runes into.

Hermione walked out onto the lawn just as they finished and the two of them froze as they felt a tingle of some unknown magic flare around them. For a moment, a dome seemed to flash into existence around the house before fading away.

"Finished." Wright said as he stood up. "Bet the old Headmaster will come round and add some of his own, of course."

"I don't doubt that Wallace... better tell Ragnot we're done here." Proctor said as they headed down the walk to the street.

Harry glanced at Hermione who was staring at the invisible dome over her head, her eyes wide. "You missed it 'Mione."

"They... they're done?" She shrieked before tugging at her mess of bushy hair. "But... but..."

"I can show you some of the ward stones, if you'd like." Harry said with a grin.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy sat in the midst of his study, his cane balanced across his lap as an owl fluttered through the open window and dropped a rolled up piece of parchment onto the midst of his deck. With a slight frown he tore it open and examined the letter before him.

"What is this?" He muttered to himself as he skimmed the document once more. "An addition to the docket by the Chief Warlock... the issue of the muggle and galleon exchange rate..." He frowned for a long moment before setting the document back on the desk and rolling it up.

"That muggle loving fool... what is he planning?" Malfoy asked with a scowl. "Well... we'll just have to see what he intends."


	8. The Wizengamot's Choice

_Author's Note: Here's some response to the various comments that have been made in reaction to the this chapter. Magitech brought up an interesting point about the price of a wand, though it is partly based on an incorrect value for the galleon._

_The galleon is a coin with a 1/3rd of an ounce of gold in this story (roughly identical in size, shape, and weight to the old Guinea). At the current time in the story, the UK price for gold was 150 GBP to the ounce, or roughly 50 GBP to the galleon. So, let us examine this for a bit and look at the prices we've seen in the story at various points.  
_

_7 galleons for a Phoenix Feather Wand = 350 GBP purchase.  
1 galleon for a textbook = 50 GBP_

_Now, I don't know about high school level (I'm an American, sorry) but I did easily pay the equivalent of 50 GBP for a textbook when I went to college, and let's face it… Wands are without a doubt the single most valuable possession any wizard can own, so 350 pounds seems almost 'cheap' to me. It'd easily be as essential to them as a laptop is to many of us after all… Especially with a number of wizards owning just one for life.  
_

_As a result, all this actually seems quite reasonable to me for most of the story, as gold prices only rose to 180 pounds per ounce by 1999 (60 GBP per galleon)._

_Now, by 2013 the price of gold has risen to over 1,000 GBP per ounce, or around 345 GBP to the galleon. However… one cannot expect prices for magical goods to remain the same with a surge in the value of gold, if you consider the prices as being in line with purchasing power…_

_The price for a wand would likely fall to a much more manageable 1-2 galleons by then (still around 350-700 GBP, but it's a once in a lifetime purchase… and remember, the average cost of a boarding school in the UK is 24,000 GBP a year right now, so a mere 24 galleons would pay for a year at Hogwarts… I wouldn't expect parents not to make an effort to pay. On the flip side, due to deflationary pressure, the price for a textbook would probably be around 10-15 sickles. I say sickles because, if the value of the galleon, sickle, and knut is thanks to their metal content, they will not keep the 1 = 17 = 493 ratio._

_Also, some of the published literature released indicates that the 1 galleon = 17 sickles = 493 knuts is not a constant exchange even in that canon, but it oscillates and changes much like how the value for coins moved about before decimalization of the pound sterling. You can look at the history of the Pound Sterling, Guinea, Sovereign and so forth to get an idea on how that works, its interesting stuff for an economist. _

_This means that sickles are worth their weight in silver and knuts are worth their weight in bronze. Considering bronze is a commodity worth around 15 pence per ounce right now, 1 knut is worth probably around 5 pence in 2013._

_With this system… here's the value in 1990 and 2013  
_

_Gold Galleon = ~50 GBP in 1990 and ~345 GBP in 2013  
Silver Sickle = ~3 GBP in 1990 and ~6 GBP in 2013  
Bronze Knut = ~0.01 GBP in 1990 and ~0.05 GBP in 2013_

_The irony of this is that in 1990 the values are..._

_1 Galleon = 17 Sickles = 5,000 Knuts (lolz Knuts is just off the canon by a 0)_

_In 2013 however, this is the exchange..._

_1 Galleon = 58 Sickles = 6,900 Knuts_

_Laughably, any muggleborn that converted their life savings into gold galleons in 1997-98 would find that the surge in gold prices more modern times has shown would find their money's worth to leap upward by an immense amount. (Hermione Granger did just that in the DH)_

_Of course, this all assumes that events allow the two worlds to remain separate. See the title to see my take on that, idea. XD_

_Now, Oracle2Phoenix noticed the 'Part I: The Hidden World' bit and correctly surmised what it means. Each Part is roughly a year…_

_Part II will be entitled 'Alchemical Gold', which if anyone has ever done any background research into alchemy, will find it rather amusing._

_The hardest thing is to decide what to do with some of the years, especially Part IV (What would be year 3), but considering my plans for Part III… it might just be best for all the characters to have a fairly quiet year…_

_Also… Harry will have some truly awesome summers, if you recall from the books Hermione almost always went somewhere internationally during the summer months and almost always came back sporting a pretty significant tan._

_This is before the Grangers are getting a giant paycheck a month as Harry's guardians. XD_

_Also, I will introduce many… many more muggles and magical people living in the muggle world then you ever saw in the original series._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 8:** The Wizengamot's Choice

* * *

That Wednesday would prove to be a watershed for the Wizarding World. Albus Dumbledore's smile was wide as he opened the Daily Prophet and found an article on Harry Potter's appearance in Diagon Alley, with a number of interviews from the various merchants.

That, by the end of the night, would probably be just the beginning. Albus thought with an amused smile as he looked out over the crowd of students at breakfast. He sighed as he thought about his schedule.

It wasn't something that many of those who attended Hogwarts thought about, but the title of Professor wasn't given to those that did not teach or conduct meaningful research, even in Wizarding Britain. The Headmaster maintained the title through the simplest of means, he offered two classes at the NEWT level: Alchemy and Magical Theory. Sadly, both classes rarely attracted so much as a one or two Ravenclaws. In fact, the last time he had in fact taught a single student in those subjects had been a few years earlier when William Weasley had taken up the subjects on Minerva's suggestion, after all Curse Breaking required a very diverse education.

Albus missed teaching. It had been the foundation of his life. Not running a school or doing the dirty work of the Wizengamot or ICW. He hoped that another few children would buck up the courage to take one of his classes come the next year. With a twinkle in his eye, he stood and nodded to McGonagall. "I must be going, Wizengamot meeting this morning... Perhaps you will find the results rather intriguing."

Minerva arched an eyebrow at him, as Albus walked out of the hall and headed to his office. He quickly changed into his Wizengamot robes and adjusted his cap before stepping into the floo and walking out into the Ministry Atrium. An amused smile appeared on his face as he found Cuthbert Mockridge arguing with the short and squat form of the goblin Bogrod. The man stopped as Dumbledore approached, and swallowed nervously. "Chief Warlock, Mr. Bogrod said that you wished for him to be present in case he was required to give testimony to the Wizengamot?"

"Yes... I am sorry Cuthbert, but the speed with which this issue appeared required me to speak directly with Gringotts, it was not my intention to circumvent your office." Albus said at the clearly surprised man. "I believe you will find the details tonight in the Prophet."

"Yes... yes of course." Cuthbert said before hastily retreating.

Bogrod gave an evil smile as he watched the man scamper-off. "I do wish that more intelligent persons assumed his position."

"Intelligence rarely appears within bureaucracy." Albus said simply. "Now... I do believe we have a meeting to attend."

Albus Dumbledore walked along the familiar polished floor, clad in his plum-colored robe emblazoned with the silver W marking him as a member of the Wizengamot. There were others clad as he was, but few could fail to recognize Dumbledore with his silvery white beard and grandfatherly demeanor.

Bogrod followed at his side, one hand clasped on a rather large leather briefcase and another carrying an expanding file. There were a few curious glances his direction as Albus walked to the elevator and began to hum to himself. After a moment the lift plunged. Beside him, Albus saw Bogrod sneer slightly at the caverns that sped past in disdain.

"Perhaps we should consider hiring some of your architects next time work needs to be done here." Albus suggested diplomatically before the lift came to a stop. With a ping the speaker announced, "Level One: Minister for Magic and Support Staff, Wizengamot Chambers, the office of the..."

As the doors slid open Albus stepped onto the marble floor and smiled faintly as he saw Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, standing beside Lucius Malfoy, twisting his hands nervously around the green bowler hat that he was most famous for. A step behind him was the short and stout figure of Madam Dolores Umbridge, the undersecretary of the Minister already clad in her plum robes. She glared down at Bogrod as if daring the goblin to speak in her presence.

"Oh, Albus... So good of you to be here early, I heard you made an addition to the docket?" Minister Fudge said as he caught sight of Dumbledore.

"Yes, yes... it seems that an issue was brought to my attention." Albus said diplomatically.

Lucius sneered at them. "I see... I confess myself quite confused as to why the galleon exchange relative to the muggle—" Malfoy spat that word as if it muddied his lips, "Pound of theirs... it has remained as it has for over a century, why change it now besides? Doing a bit of social engineering, giving the muggleborn a leg up?"

"Actually, Lucius... our current exchange is giving them a substantial leg up. Something I intend to correct." Albus said and smiled as Lucius blinked, looking as if he'd been struck by a bludger. "The current exchange gives the muggleborn a substantial economic advantage over pureblood wizards. No doubt, it would be far better if... everyone was given equal standing?"

Lucius stared at him, his pale face flushing faintly. "You say that the muggleborn have an ADVANTAGE over us, how?"

"That will be explained in the meeting." Albus said.

"Perhaps Lucius, we should examine the complete story before deciding upon a course of action." Fudge said nervously.

Albus nodded and glanced over two the two doors that served as the entryway to the Wizengamot Chambers. Already a number of wizards were milling about before them, talking in whispers over sheets of parchment listing the docket for the meeting.

"Perhaps we should go inside then." Albus observed before heading to the door and striding along to the podium on the opposite side of the hall. On either side were huge benches, large enough to hold forty voting members of the Wizengamot, advisors, and non-voting experts.

Beside his podium was a bench for expert witnesses along with two shorter podiums, one of which was promptly filled by Cornelius Fudge. Umbridge filled the second seat a moment later.

Albus nodded to Sirius as he stepped into the room and found a seat close to the podium, a slight smirk played across the young man's face as the older members filled in the room. Albus glanced at the young woman sitting before the podiums with the quill, scratching out notes and working as the scribe.

The doors to the chambers shut a moment later and two ministry hit-wizards stood before them, standing at somber attention.

Albus picked up a gavel and hammered the podium once. "This magical body, the Wizengamot of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is hereby convened in session this Wednesday the twenty-sixth of September. The docket, as you no doubt have noticed has grown. Also present is the lovely Ms. Eldwick acting as the body scribe and Mr. Bogrod of Gringotts to act as an expert witness."

"Why, is that... thing allowed within this body's meeting?" Umbridge sneered.

Bogrod bristled before Albus answered her. "He is here at the behest of the Chief Warlock to present information relevant to the debate on the galleon exchange, as it seems there are few wizards who have the expertise in banking the debate requires."

"Now... seeing that the docket is quite full with the usual array of items and one singular issue of grave importance, I move that we begin clearing away the usual refuse so that more weighty issues may be debated, do I have a second?"

Sirius stood. "Seconded."

"All in favor?" A chorus answered Albus before he asked. "Any opposed?" When none answered, Albus glanced at the docket and sighed. "Now... first order of business, Anderson's petition."

As was always the case, a craggy old Scotsman stood up at that time. "Chief Warlock, the Anderson clan hereby petition for the independence of Scotland from..."

A chorus of nays, harrumphs, and various other statements followed suit, and Albus smiled fondly at the man. "Once again, Mr. Toft, I must deny your petition... The lines of the ministry of magic's domain are drawn by magical portions of the Magna Carta, the Acts of Union of 1707, and the Declaration of Separation with the muggle world, and as such... until our muggle friends deem Scotland should be independent, it will remain a part of the United Kingdom."

Albus turned to the next item on the docket. "Mr. Midgen, I believe you have a matter you wish to bring before us..."

So things ground on. Dozens of small and petty issues were quickly brought before the Wizengamot and internally Albus chuckled at the vast array of bureaucratic refuse that could be generated in a week. He remembered once how a muggleborn who had been there as the Daily Prophet reported had likened it to a council meeting of a small muggle village, filled with countless petitions which did nothing, and debates over matters of no substance.

By noon, the array of rather worthless items was brought to a close with the passage of an act to replace the aging sign at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. Albus chewed his lip for a moment, wondering if it would be best to allow the body to recess for lunch before moving onto the issue.

Madam Umbridge making a motion to do just that interrupted his thoughts and soon the group dispersed to find a meal nearby. Albus met Sirius in the hall just outside the courtroom and followed him out into the muggle world, after quickly transifuring his robes into a tweed professor's jacket and khaki pants. Many of the more muggle aware members of the wizengamot had made their way to the small pub just down the street. Bogrod had disappeared into the Goblin Liason office, muttering about ruffling human hairs.

Albus smiled to himself as he followed Sirius into the pub and was directed to a side booth where Madam Bones, Elphias Doge, and a young woman with a set of spectacles sat with a muggle notebook and a fountain pen hurriedly scribbling down a set of notes as Doge continued to explain the situation.

"Amelia, I was shocked when I found out... We're not talking about forcing the muggleborn under boot or anything, just leveling the playing field economically. I would hope that doing this would help placate the damned old green-blooded conservatives on the Wizengamot so we could get some real social reforms through." Doge said.

Albus smiled faintly as he sat down and ordered from the menu before him, amused by the prices on the menu. Now that he knew of the true value of the galleon, the five-pound deluxe lunch looked far less expensive. As the waiter left, he turned to Amelia. "It is not just a social issue or an economic one, but a legal one." Albus said. "Consider, Gringotts allows anyone to convert their galleons into the equivalent in gold bars, diamonds, or jewels. A petty thief decides to convert a dozen galleons into gold and goes into the muggle world to sell it. Instead of sixty pounds, he is paid six hundred. Then he turns around and returns to Gringotts to exchange the pounds for galleons."

Amelia's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "And they give him one hundred and twenty galleons?"

"Yes." Sirius said simply. "There are other repercussions, to be sure... magical grocer's obtain most of their stock from the muggle world, imagine how much the cost of food will drop, let alone the cost for housing, for anyone that works in real estate, this will be a boom."

"This will shake everything up... but then, if some thief or other crook decided to do as you suggested..." Amelia shuddered. "Our world's very foundations would be shaken to the core."

Albus nodded. "It is unfortunate, of course that this will penalize those that work and live primarily in the muggle world, but then I spoke to Ted Tonks, and he seemed rather amused that we haven't corrected the issue."

"He took advantage of the exchange... working in the muggle world gave him a substantially higher income then working in the wizarding world." Sirius said as Amelia Bones frowned.

"What exactly will this piece of legislation do?" Amelia asked.

"The legislation is written in such a way, that the value of the galleon to pound exchange will be tied to the value of gold in the muggle world. Unfortunately, the muggles no longer back their currency with metals, so the exact value varies. Gringotts has told me that they are planning to distribute pamphlets detailing the change and the announcement of a new range of investments in muggle currency." Albus said.

"I take it, you will be voting for the bill?" Sirius said.

"Yes, if only to ensure that someone like Mundungus Fletcher doesn't bring our economy to its knees." Amelia said stiffly.

"It will certainly cause economic disruption, the only prices I can see remaining the same due to this shift in the exchange rate would be those items that we make completely ourselves... magical goods, wands, some potions materials, magical creatures, and plants..." Albus shrugged. "The price of any good that was originally produced in the muggle world will fall drastically, be it a house, groceries, or other mundane items."

The young woman that seemed to work as a reporter looked up from her notes. "Headmaster, what about wages?"

"I do not know, I'm not an economist, but I'd expect some disruption, aside for Ministry employees of course." Albus said simply. "However, as most of our careers involve magical items in some way, I do not see them substantially changing."

"Thank you, headmaster."

The group finished their meal while discussing strategies to convince the conservative faction to support the change, but as Albus said. "The removal of an advantage to the muggleborn alone will probably be enough to convince his supporters."

Malfoy himself was more likely to be suspicious of the action, but would ultimately be swung over with examples and frank discussion of finances. As vile and petty as the man was, he understood money both making it and using it. The Malfoys had not gotten their position of power simply by being aggressive. Instead, they had it by becoming an economic juggernaut in the Wizarding World.

Technically, they weren't the most wealthy family in Wizarding Britain, but they were the most heavily invested in the economy, backing countless businesses and owning property all across the country. In terms of pure wealth, the Blacks dwarfed the Malfoys, but Sirius had found that most of the wealth of his family had been in simple investments and rarely held a controlling interest. The same could not be said for Lucious Malfoy's portfolio.

The man wielded his galleons like a blunt instrument, forcing them to obey his will just to ensure their financial future.

Slowly the group returned to the meeting chamber in the Ministry of Magic, and Albus stood before the assembled group as he recalled them back into session.

"Now, that the various trivialities of administering our world have been dealt with, we may now move on to a far more weighty subject." Albus said. "I move that we begin debate on the Galleon valuation bill, proposed by myself and Lord Black."

"Seconded," Amelia Bones called from her seat as the entire hall grew quiet.

"To begin, I will invite Mr. Bogrod of Gringotts to explain in detail the current situation..." Albus said and gestured to the stocky gobling who slowly wandered to the middle of the room, his back facing the Albus and watched the goblin study the two assembled groups of wizards cautiously.

He cleared his throat and popped open the briefcase he'd brought into the room. "Members of Wizengamot, I stand before you with grave news of a threat of a financial crisis..."

Albus nodded to himself and smiled, glad that Bogrod had chosen this approach. There was often times nothing more powerful in policy debates then to raise the specter of inaction as being a grave threat. What was it that one muggle song went... It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine... He hummed the tune to himself, remembering the words from a lunch at the muggle pub a few days before.

Muggles could be so clever at times...

Parchments flew from Bogrod's briefcase as he continued to speak, showing charts and equivalencies. He spoke of purchasing power and inequality of exchange, but it was his detailing of how the current situation could be used by intelligent wizards to their advantage.

"Among the many wizards and witches I have spoken too on this issue, I have a number of case examples. Among them is the case of Ted Tonks, a muggleborn. Since his graduation at Hogwarts, Mr. Tonks went on to muggle university through the Department of Magical Education's knowledge exchange program and obtained a degree in the muggle science of meteorology. He then proceeded to obtain a job in the muggle world as a 'weather man', a man whose job is to predict the weather. His yearly income from his position last year amounted to... 27,390 pounds in salaries, which at the current exchange rate amounts to a yearly income of over five thousand galleons."

Shouts of dismay and harrumphs came from the most conservative benches. Albus himself arched an eyebrow as Lucius Malfoy stood and cocked his head. "Mr. Bogrod, do you mean to tell me that this... muggleborn has an income equal or greater than most of this august body?" He sneered.

"Yes, in fact... if a muggleborn took the lowest paying full-time job available in the muggle world, they would make over a thousand galleons a year." Bogrod said. "The days when five pounds was a significant slice of a muggle's income are long over. By comparison... a dragon feeder at Gringotts is paid a mere... three hundred galleons a year."

More shouts of dismay came from the benches and Luscius seemed to be shaking with rage. "THEY HAVE SUCH AN ADVANTAGE?" He yelled over the combined voices of the group. "How has this... INSULT to wizardry been allowed to come about?"

"Mr. Malfoy, the reason that this situation exists is because the Muggle currency is not backed by precious metals. It 'floats' as economists say on the value of what you can exchange it for, not on any value it holds in of itself." Bogrod smirked at the enraged pale wizard. "Gringotts has attempted a number of times to bring this situation to the attention of the Wizengamot... but it seems rare for intelligent members of your community to find themselves in the Goblin Laison Office."

Snorts came from the benches, but they were subdued by the facts that had been presented by Bogrod.

Another wizard stood, "Mr. Bogrod, I noticed you made special note of a means by which an... unscrupulous individual could use the current exchange to his advantage. How will adjusting the exchange rate prevent this from occurring in the future?"

"By tying the exchange to the value of the metals within the coins... as the knut, sickle, and galleon's value have been based upon since their introduction, we will make it impossible for a thief to make an instantaneous profit. Of course, we cannot account for constant variances in the market... as currency trading is a form of investing in of itself."

"Thank you."

The discussion went on for several more minutes and Albus studied the room, noting that many of Malfoy's supporters were studying the papers and examples that Bogrod had brought forward with an almost manic intensity. Malfoy himself looked almost sick as he studied the reports, and Albus could gather that the man was hurriedly trying to understand how his world had suddenly been turned upside down. Soon the discussion began to revolve more and more around the repercussions of the change as very few could come up with a legitimate reason not to go through with an adjustment.

Albus was not surprised that it was Lucius Malfoy that once again began to question Bogrod in detail, and even Albus had to acknowledge that whatever the man's faults or bigotry, he was an experienced businessman. There were grumbles when Bogrod admitted that after the exchange was adjusted that most should expect a dramatic devaluation of property.

"Why?" Lucius snapped.

"Simple, Mr. Malfoy. Changing the galleon valuation dramatically changes the price of items imported from the muggle world. It just so happens that if a magical person purchases land, they will almost invariably be purchasing land or housing from a muggle... as a result, the value of housing and property is directly tied to their value in the muggle marketplace and the exchange rate." Bogrod said. "Consider... the wooden benches you sit upon, the marble of the floor, or the metal in the cauldron you have at home. Is there a single magically owned logging company? A magically owned quarry? A magically owned forge?"

The widening of eyes from the assembled group made Bogrod smile as he realized they had begun to understand. "The answer is... NO!"

"Every single non-magical raw material used in the wizarding world came from a muggle source, be it the silver in Mr. Malfoy's cane, the paper that the Daily Prophet is printed on, or the fine marble of this floor." Bogrod said. "Even we goblins no longer mine our own mundane metals as the muggles have managed to place such materials on the market for less than it costs us to mine them ourselves. Then there comes the issue of food costs as, aside for magical ingredients used in potions, do you know any wizarding farms? The cost of living will drop, to be sure and I would expect many families to be able to afford more, increasing economic activity and the profits of those business owners."

"Mr. Bogrod, I take it that you expect a great deal of economic instability to result after this action?" Malfoy said slowly.

"Yes, I would."

Malfoy nodded. "But you believe that lack of action would result in far greater difficulties?"

"Yes."

The blond pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "I see no problem with this course of action..." He turned to address his fellows. "Consider! If the price of property falls, well... we can buy more. If the cost of living falls, well... more goods that are magical will be bought to ease the lives of the common people. Many of us invest in those very things. While I am certain that we will have momentary losses, the possibility of future gains cannot be ignored." He slowly smiled. "I will vote for this... proposal put before us by Lord Black."

Albus smiled as Malfoy sat down and a large portion of the Wizengamot stared. It was rare for Malfoy and Black to agree on anything the other proposed. As Albus watched, Malfoy hastily scribbled a note banished it with the flick of his wand, no doubt taking action to preserve his wealth and prepare to take advantage of the change.

With Malfoy's announcement, Albus found that opposition, weak as it had been collapsed in the wake of his declaration of support. Only a few of the old families fought the measure still, but as the vote was called Albus was happy to find that he could easily count them off on one hand.

As the meeting broke up, the reporters seemed to storm the room, now alerted that something major had happened. Bogrod hastily slipped out as Malfoy was cornered by a throng of reporters and began to give statements of support, a party Sirius crashed by deciding to upstage the man by twisting it into a joint endorsement of support.

Albus's eyes twinkled merrily as he slipped out of the room and headed for the atrium to return to Hogwarts. It seemed that the Wizengamot had made their choice.

* * *

In a strange house in Devon, that could only be held aloft by magic, the rather plump and motherly figue of Molly Weasley sat at her kitchen table a quill posed over the parchment that had added up her family's living expenses. The line items that were before her seemed all the more daunting as she stared at the largest of them...

Mortgage - 1,340 galleons a month

Property Taxes (allocated to) - 600 galleons a month

Food - 300 galleons a month

Molly knew that Arthur was quite well paid, making roughly five times that of a hit-wizard in training, but it all seemed so little with the expenses of their large family. She glanced up from her calculations and watched her two youngest splashing out in the River Otter before glancing back at parchment.

An owl fluttered through the window and dropped the Evening Prophet before her and she stared at the huge headline, feeling confused.

**BLACK-DUMBLEDORE GALLEON EXCHANGE BILL PASSES!**

Surely, that wouldn't affect them, would it? Molly flipped through the article and her eyes widened as page after page detailed the repercussions of the change. She glanced back at her parchment and wondered just how far off her numbers were now.


	9. Cultural Exchange

_Author's Note: I'm sorry, I like talking about writing almost as much as writing, so if you want to jump to the story go ahead… now._

_I have to say, writing this I found myself in a rather unusual position. Included in this chapter is probably the strangest scene involving Slytherins (or soon to be Slytherins) you'll read. It makes sense in the story, and I know a number of you were wondering about the repercussions of the galleon exchange changing, which is partly why it cropped up in my head and it gave me a great opportunity to characterize some figures that got little more than a quick mention in the books._

_I also decided to actually nail-down some things that have become popular assumptions about the Slytherins in Harry's year, as to who they are. We know who Pansy, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle are, and to a lesser extent know who Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott are. The same cannot be said for Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis._

_All we know about Daphne is that she's very pretty and quiet (many call her the Ice Queen in fanfiction) and that Tracey is a half-blood. That's it… Most people seem to think of the two as friends._

_My take? Well, the only other half-bloods we know of that have been in Slytherin have been exceptional individuals… Tom Riddle himself, Severus Snape, and so forth. Snape invents spells after all, and Tom is VOLDEMORT._

_Tracey and Daphne will be Harry and Hermione's foil throughout the story. Think of Tracey as being pretty much like canon Harry would be in Slytherin, and Daphne is an inversion of Hermione (introverted, quiet, and beautiful compared to extroverted, bossy, and rather plain)._

_Astoria is actually introduced here, and my basic decision with her was to make her the 'anti-Pansy' to put it bluntly. Even at eight she's athletic, competitive, and sneaky. She's not the simpering woman that Pansy was._

_We also have here our first taste of Magical Theory… I have to give kudos to Less Wrong's Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, as his take on magic had quite an effect on my own. The issue of why say… food can't be conjured or a skilled wizard like Remus Lupin walks around in ratty robes when he could clearly transfigure or conjure some will be explained._

_And Dan Granger and Harry Potter are introduced to Quidditch._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 9:** Cultural Exchange

* * *

For Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, the week seemed to drag by as their excitement over the approaching weekend. Every night they hurried through their homework, finishing as quick as they could before popping open some of their books on the magical world. Harry read through 'A Welcome to the Magical World' while Hermione curled up in a chair in the study with a massive volume called 'Hogwarts: A History'.

As they read, they'd share bits that they thought were interesting with the other. It was through this that Harry and Hermione had first learned the details of the magical world and the school they would be attending the next year. Hermione studied the description of the four major houses and produced a table listing their good and not so good qualities. Still, she was puzzled that there was no mention of how they'd be sorted. Would there be questions, some sort of test?

Harry just shrugged as he read through the notes that Hermione had written for herself. Still, he had to agree with Hermione that Gryffindor really did sound like it was the best, but Ravenclaw wouldn't be that bad, or Hufflepuff...

Still there were oddities, for one there were a number of very high profile graduates from Slytherin that didn't seem to be the sort of 'cunning pure-blood' that the book described. Apparently Merlin himself had been amongst the first graduates of Slytherin house.

That Saturday, Harry and Hermione spent their morning working at the kitchen table reading their books while their parents watched the telly or, in Jean's case, practiced the piano.

It was just after lunch when the event that both Hermione and Harry had been anxiously awaiting finally happened. There was a soft knock at the door. The two of them bolted for the door as Jean busied herself with the dishes and Dan watched the news.

Harry almost pulled out the old doorknob as he fumbled with the heavy wooden front door and grinned as he saw the familiar image of his two 'uncles' standing outside clad in rather conventional muggle clothes.

"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted and pulled him inside. "REMUS! You're here!"

"We are." Sirius said with a smile as Hermione bouncing excitedly just inside the living room while Dan turned in his seat and looked toward the door. Sirius pulled a paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the end table, headline up.

"Excellent, it passed then?" Dan said as he stared at the headline.

"By an overwhelming margin," Sirius said with a grin. "It goes into effect today at noon, I asked Bogrod to keep me apprised of the situation too, as I really don't want new muggleborn students to have any problem with getting supplies. We're talking about starting a foundation, to compensate for the sudden change in the exchange rate, and Ted's made a half dozen jokes about me slashing his pay ninety-percent, but then he's profited off this for almost twenty years already."

Remus sighed before running a hand through his hair. "Well, it does mean I won't be able to do that well working in the muggle world anymore."

"Rent will drop, Moony. They can't keep charging that much when the price for homes falls like a rock." Sirius assured his friend with a smile. "Until it does, you'll just have to keep me company."

Remus chuckled. "Well then, I suppose I should start earning my keep with you two." He said before looking down at Harry and Hermione. "Umm... Where would you—"

Jean smiled faintly. "We've improvised a bit of classroom in Dan's old workshop behind the garage. It should be fine for potions and some spell-casting."

"Lead the way." Remus said as he turned to follow her, and then smirked at the two kids. "Um, you'll need your wands."

Harry and Hermione hurried up the stairs to get them as Remus followed Jean Granger out the back door and into what was a two-car garage, of which half seemed to be taken up with a set of work benches and tools. One of which seemed to be crowded by a tiny model of an airplane in bits, with a magnifying glass pulled down low over it.

"My husband has had spouts of boffin-ness over the years. Of course... it saved us a lot of money fixing up the house, so I can't complain too much." Jean said with a faint smile before opening the door and leading Remus into a room that seemed to have been an addition onto the back of the garage. An old chalk board was mounted to one wall and a desk sat beside it. A set of air vents sat overhead and a natural gas valve was hidden in the corner along with a number of Bunsen burners.

Remus glanced around the area curiously. "You set this all up since Sunday?"

Jean smiled. "Yes, but then we already had most of this. The bunsen burners, Dan and I had to use them a few times for special orders with fillings and it's helped teach the kids a lot about chemistry and science." She walked over to a valve on the wall. "This is the gas cut-off, in case of an emergency, but it also cuts the line to the rest of the house... not that I'd complain if you really did have to cut the line."

Remus nodded. "You know... I doubt gas is really as dangerous as you muggles tend to think, the obliviators like to use gas-explosions an excuse for cleaning up a wizard's mess."

"We found the chalkboard at junk shop... didn't cost more than ten quid, and we've had these old seats in storage." Jean shrugged. "Will this work for you?"

"I think so... looks like a pretty similar setup to my old potion's class." Remus said. "Not sure if it's good for spell-casting. How far down the road are your nearest neighbors?"

"Oh... maybe a hundred yards, but the backyard is pretty closed. You think it would be better to do spell-casting there?" Jean asked.

"I think so." Remus said with a faint smile before the door opened and the two kids scrambled inside carrying notebooks and their wands. "I suppose we should get started then. Oh, Sirius wanted to talk to you about tonight, he got tickets for the Puddlemere - Harpy game tonight."

"For all of us?" Jean asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes."

Jean sighed, "I'll talk to him, but Hermione and I are really not big fans of sports."

Remus shrugged. "It's the thought that counts."

"I'll leave you to it then." Jean said before slipping out the door.

"Right then..." Remus glanced at the two kids staring at him attentively and took a deep breath. "Let's get started... I'm guessing you've done a bit of reading."

Hermione nodded her head vigorously and Harry did it a bit less so.

"Right then... I suppose we should start with the basics." Remus summoned a bit of chalk with a flick of his wand and walked over to the blackboard. "Almost every class in Hogwarts requires the text, Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling. Sadly, Waffling died by the hand of Lord Voldemort in the final months of the last wizarding war."

Remus started by quickly writing three questions on the board:

1.) What is magic?  
2.) What is the source of magical power?  
3.) What are the limits of magical power?

"Now, many... many people struggle with these ideas, but the sooner you can grasp them the further you're likely to go." Remus said with a smirk. "Now... What is magic?"

"A... A supernatural force that can alter the world around us at fundamental levels," Hermione said, almost quoting the definition verbatim from her books.

Remus wrote down 'Supernatural Force' and smiled. "I'm not particularly fond of the term 'supernatural' but, fundamentally... I'd agree. Harry, maybe you can simplify it a bit?"

Harry frowned slightly. "It's a... form of energy which we can harness to do our own bidding?"

"Energy?" Remus pursed his lips thoughtfully and smiled. "Yes... magic is a unique form of energy you could say. That leads directly into the second question... Where does that energy come from?"

"The witch or wizard, honestly... it can't be the wand or anything else. Otherwise anyone could be wizard or witch." Hermione said with a bit of a huff.

"Good... The wizard or witch is the source of the energy, though how is often up to debate." Remus tapped the chalkboard. "The belief in pureblood superiority stems from a belief that magical power comes from 'the blood' as it were."

"So it's genetic." Harry said with a shrug. "And obviously recessive, or people like Hermione wouldn't exist."

Remus nodded. "Yes, it obviously is... to those that know about genetics anyway, you'll find that most of the wizarding world doesn't. You'd be amazed how much I picked up from working and living in the muggle world that's helped me understand the magical one. You two both are quite logical, so... if magic comes from the witch or wizard, why do we use wands?"

"Obviously... it's a tool." Hermione said. "Like a wrench or..." She flushed, "A conductor's baton for the world."

"A..." Remus sputtered for a moment before chuckling. "Brilliant, I'll have to tell Sirius and Albus that..."

"So... we can do magic without them?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded and lifted his hand, after a moment, a small ball of blue flames crackled to life cradled in the palm of his hand. "Magic without a wand is significantly more difficult then magic with a wand."

"What about accidental magic?" Hermione asked. "Isn't that just a form of uncontrolled wand-less magic?"

"Yes it is." Remus said with a faint smile. "Accidental magic is usually almost an instinctive reaction or the result of immense emotional strain. Intention forms an important part of magic capable of overriding all other things: wand movements, incantations, and all the like are merely one way of communicating your intention to your magic... The problem is most people don't connect well enough with their magic to be able to cast without using a wand or incantations."

"What about the energy behind the magic... I mean, it has to cost us something... doesn't it?" Harry said.

Remus smiled. "Think of magic as a muscle... what happens when you use it? You tire, and amongst wizards and witches magical exhaustion can be a major problem if they attempt really powerful spells without taking time to rest."

"So... it obeys the law of thermodynamics?" Hermione asked.

"The... the what?" Remus sputtered.

"The muggle scientific law that states: energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed, merely converted from one form to another." Hermione said.

"I don't know... it sounds likely, conjuring is among the most tiring form of magic around." Remus said.

"Does conjuring create new matter or is it just transfiguring the air itself?" Hermione asked. "Because the amount of energy needed to make any amount of mass is gargantuan, if wizards had so much energy... wouldn't we effect the environment in which we live?"

Remus smiled faintly. "Well, you've gone far more into the theory then I expected..." He cleared his throat. "There is a theory that highly magical places... places like Gringotts, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Stonehenge are so because of the continuing presence of a large population of wizards. Additionally... most wizards tend to cause muggle technology to go a bit barmy by their presence."

Hermione and Harry glanced at each other and then Hermione snickered. "The telly does get interference lines when I touch it."

"Same... and remember when that stupid git, Wilcox yelled at you last year? The whole school's lights flickered for a bit." Harry said.

"Yes, well... it's theorized that intense emotions increase magical output." Remus said.

Hermione cocked her head. "Harry... too mess with electricity, doesn't magic have to have some sort of electromagnetic element?"

"I... I don't know." Harry said.

Remus was perplexed, while some of the muggle scientific terminology that they were using he understood, other bits were flying by. He chewed his lip in thought for a moment, wondering if perhaps getting a few galleons turned to pounds and going book shopping would be a good idea.

"Well, do most spells give off light when their cast?" Hermione mused.

Remus snapped back from his musing and smiled. "Most do, but not all... Actually, that leads me to the more practical part of what I'd like to teach you today. This charm is so simple that most students know it before they even go to Hogwarts..."

"But, professor... what about the third point you listed?" Hermione asked.

Remus chuckled. "I'll get back to it, as I intended to teach you this, there's no harm on using this as a demonstration..." He pulled out his wand. "This charm is known as the 'Wand-Lighting Charm', it's extremely low power, so low that it never appears on the ministry of magic's detectors, and simple... All you have to do is make a looping motion with your wand and say, _Lumos_. Now, this is the form you will learn most of your spells... Wand or hand motion, and incantation. So, repeat after me... _Lumos_."

Harry and Hermione echoed his words and Remus nodded once before smiling. "Good, now... watch my wand and repeat the gesture." He rotated his wrist slightly drawing an 'o' shape with the tip of his wand and the two mimicked him a moment later.

"Now... all together."

"Lumos!" Harry and Hermione said and stared in shock as the tips of their wands lit up as if an invisible light bulb had been screwed onto their tip.

"Excellent..." Remus said and smiled. "First try, if this were Hogwarts, you'd earn your house points for that." He sat down on the desk. "I'll show you how to cancel that charm in a moment. Now, the_ Lumos_ charm can be manipulated quite a bit by intent. I want you to focus on the light, and imagine instead of the point of light you've got now, a beam like that from a torch and repeat your spell."

Harry and Hermione stared at their wands for a moment before repeating the spells, resulting in two beams of light roughly like a muggle torch. Remus smiled. "See... intention is important."

The two of them nodded and Remus sat back for a moment. "Now... most spells can be tweaked a bit just by adding modifiers, these are words added to an incantation to modify its affect. The most commonly used one is _Maxima_, though duelists will occasionally use its lesser variant _Minima_ to reduce the effects of their spells during practice."

"So, maximum and minimum," Harry said. "So _Maxima_ would make the light brighter."

"Exactly," Remus said with a smile. "Now, the counter-charm for _Lumos_ is _Nox_, the Wand-Extinguishing Charm... it has a bit more complicated wand movement, which looks a bit like a sickle." He frowned slightly before turning back to the chalkboard and drew a shape vaguely like a lopsided shark fin. "This is the wand movement... go ahead and try it."

A moment later, both of the wands were extinguished and Remus nodded. "You catch on quick."

With that done, he tapped at the board once again. "Now... this last question."

Harry swallowed, "Limits..."

"The first fundamental law of magic states: tamper with the deepest mysteries – the source of life, the essence of self – only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind. In short, the more fundamental rule of the universe you are attempting to break, the greater the cost. There are no true limits, so long as you are willing to pay the price. There are a number of examples of this in history, but fundamentally... tampering with human potential, the soul, or attempting to grab hold of immortality cost more than anything else."

Harry shuddered. "Who... Who would gamble with that?"

"Even wizards have madmen." Remus admitted with a shrug. "This fundamental law leads to a number of lesser laws. Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration and so forth..." He tossed the chalk down and shrugged. "Basically, to create most things requires little more than the skill and the effort expended, but magic cannot be used to create love, new life, knowledge, or any other item of true permanence... I could summon a flock of birds, but they'd be gone within an hour for example, unless I expended some magic to maintain them."

Harry nodded slowly, "So permanent advantages require a... permanent cost."

"That would be one way of looking at it, now some things have innate magic which can be manipulated to create far longer lasting charms... Brooms are made from various magical woods for example, and some stones can hold magical charges for millennia." Remus said. "But, nothing is permanent, not really..."

"Is that why there are so many warning against transfiguring some things? Like there's the danger of smoke inhalation resulting in some sort of reaction and so forth if you transfigured a bit of metal into firewood?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and no... There are plenty of 'safe' items to use for transfiguration materials... water, most non-reactive materials, and most organic compounds won't result in any danger to the wizard if used. It's quite common for transfigured items to be destroyed or burned in duels, after all," Remus said. "Plus, I've seen some pretty spectacular things done with conjuring, summoning, and duplication spells in my time... but, take for instance the case of transfiguring a sandwich."

He flicked his wand and a sandwich suddenly appeared on the table. "Now... I just made a sandwich out of thin air. Apparently, I just broke Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, but... not really. You see, the sandwich will have reverted to air by the time I finished eating it, giving me a nasty case of gas but no real sustenance. Wear and tear accelerates the rate by which transfigurations fail, consider a robe... I could conjure a robe, but after walking down a street for a few minutes, the robe would begin to fall apart, to fray, and eventually revert to the air from which it came, leaving me standing starkers in the middle of the street. The duration of a transfiguration can be increased by using more power behind it, or a few different spell modifiers, but rarely will exceed more than an hour or two."

The two nodded their understanding. "So... all magic is finite."

"Yes, though there as I said there are ways that it can be reinforced. The magic at Hogwarts, for example, is continually renewed by the yearly discharge of student's wands in classes. Essentially, it picks up the magic of its students and uses it to replenish itself. Many of the oldest magical structures in Britain rely on similar ideas. Part of the reason Stonehenge is a ruin is that the druids abandoned it, and its magic slowly failed. Now, let's move on…"

* * *

The dull thwack of a tennis ball impacting the racket echoed over the court, and Tracey Davis smirked to herself as she watched the glowing iridescent ball skim just over the net and dive down. Her opponent though was quite tall for a ten year old and managed to reach the ball, striking it back in turn.

Tracey swore under her breath as the ball shot past her in a high arc and glared at the ball as she hastily ran to get under it. With a shout, she jumped up and caught the ball, sending it shooting straight back at her opponent who batted it back.

It struck the ground just in front of her and Tracey swore. "DAPHNE!"

"It was a legal move..." The blonde girl answered with a faint smile. "I do believe that means I've won."

Tracey sighed and adjusted the round glasses she wore before tossing the racket down in a huff and heading for the sideline. She was short and skinny for her age, with wiry black hair that curled slightly on the ends resulting in a hairstyle that looked almost like a helmet, if that wasn't bad enough she wore round glasses, had pencil like legs, and knobbly knees. She wore t-shirts and shorts that looked as if they were at least a size to big on her small frame. Her bright blue eyes glittered as she took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but her temper flared, and one of the tennis balls shot from a box and pelted toward Daphne, who batted it aside.

"You need to calm down. There are too many muggles about." Daphne said. "Tracey..."

"You're right..." Tracey admitted as she grabbed a towel and began to rub her face rather vigorously. "Why haven't your parents picked you up yet?"

"They're busy... Why do you think we're stuck with her?" Daphne jerked her head toward the eight-year-old girl that was sitting on the bench watching them.

Both girls were blondes with bright green eyes, but there the similarities ended. Daphne was tall and thin with a surprisingly developed figure for a girl her age, in a few years she'd probably be described as beautiful or model-like. Her legs were long and well toned, and her curly hair gave her a rather disarming appearance, especially when coupled with the lime green hair-band she wore. Her younger sister however was shorter, though even at two years younger than they were, she wasn't as short as Tracey. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and already it was clear she was developing in a different direction. While Daphne looked like she was on her way to becoming a model, she looked more like an athlete in the making.

Tracey felt like the nerdy girlfriend of the two of them when she thought about their appearance. In many ways, she was the odd one out in the little group. Daphne's parents were pure-blood wizards who ran one of the wizarding world's most prominent real-estate firms. Their specialization was essentially the trade of land and housing between the mundane and magical worlds. They were sneaky, tricky, and everything one would expect from realtors on either side of the line between muggle and magical realms.

Tracey wasn't a pure-blood, but a half-blood. Her father, Brian Davis, had been a half-blood as well, an alchemist who had decided to broaden his understanding of muggle science after Hogwarts. Her mother, had been on a track to become a chemistry teacher at the time they'd met, and soon the two had begun dating. Of course, a lot had changed with the war... Her father had died before her first birthday, a victim of the Death Eaters.

The Greengrass family gave her mother a job during the aftermath. They needed a muggle to act as a go between: one that knew of the magical world, hence the strange alliance of muggle and pureblood families that had resulted in their current circumstances. It made the Greengrass family an oddity in pureblood circles, a necessary part though. It also made it so Heather Davis was the one muggle that no pureblood would consider killing.

Tracey sighed. "And my mum went right along with them..."

"Well, she is the purchasing agent... Every old family wants to buy up every bit of land round their house now, because of that galleon act." Daphne said, "Perhaps another game?"

"I want to play!" The eight-year-old called out from her seat. "PLEASE!"

"No, Astoria..." Daphne grumbled before picking up a tennis ball and bouncing it idly. "There are only three of us. We'd need another player to do doubles."

"We could ask one of them..." Tracey suggested, gesturing to the group of muggle girls that were playing in the court next door.

"They're muggles..." Daphne muttered with a slight sneer. "Astoria would probably get us in trouble..."

"I would not!" Astoria shouted before crossing her arms in a huff.

"Fine," Tracey said. "How about me and Astoria against you, Daphne?"

Daphne frowned, "Really?"

"I'll just play winner..." Astoria suggested.

Tracey grinned and walked over to her racket. "Then, I guess you'll play now, hmm?"

Astoria grinned wickedly as she hopped off the bench and hurried over to Tracey. "You're the best!" Astoria said as Tracey handed over her racket.

Daphe rolled her eyes. "At this rate, she'll be in bloody Gryffindor..."

"I doubt it, she's too sneaky." Tracey said.

"You will end up in Slytherin with me, won't you?" Daphne asked.

Tracey smirked. "Of course, considering how much mum and I have to lie, it's as natural as breathing... I'm sure we're cunning enough for your house."

"Good." Daphne said.

* * *

Sirius Black smiled faintly as he sat back in the living room, talking with Dan. The two of them were watching the telly, and Black had to admit, that compared to what wizards had managed with the wireless, that device was a marvel. Moving and talking images, broadcast live from all over the world. The only thing he could liken it to was the set of mirror's he and James Potter had managed to enchant as a secret means of communicating in detention.

It had been several hours since Hermione and Harry had disappeared into the garage for their first class, and Dan was glad that there hadn't already been an explosion. Just looking at some of the potions instructions and alchemical recipes made him wince, as most had a number of warnings about some stage in the process.

"So, this Quidditch... it's similar to football then?" Dan asked as a football match started.

"Somewhat, it's similar in some ways and very different in others... parts of it are like, what's that game that's played on horseback with mallets?" Sirius frowned for a long moment. "Polo?"

"Yes, polo's played that way," Dan said before shrugging. "So, tell me about the game and the rules then..."

"Well, there are four balls in Quidditch. The main one is the quaffle, it's sort of like a red soccer ball or... basketball? Anyway, the goal for the three chasers on the team is to put the quaffle through one of the three goalposts on the opposite side, guarded by the keeper. Then there are the two bludgers, they're iron balls enchanted to careen around the field and attempt to unseat the players. Two players called beaters are tasked with keeping them away from their team and hitting them toward the other one."

"That's six players, didn't you say there's seven?" Dan said.

"Yes well, the seventh player is the seeker. Quidditch matches don't have a time limit, you play until the seeker catches the fourth ball... the golden snitch. Whichever team that catches the snitch earns one hundred fifty points, which is the equivalent of scoring fifteen goals by the chasers. It's a tiny ball that's almost impossible to see and flutters around a bit like a hummingbird." Sirius shrugged. "It'll make more sense once you see the match."

"Alright." Dan said before the back door opened and Remus brought the kids inside. Both of them had bright smiles on their faces as they headed for the stairs. "How was it?"

"It was great, dad!" Harry said before grinning.

"We learned Lumos!" Hermione said happily, as she held up her wand and grinned.

Sirius chuckled. "Well, that's a good place to start isn't it Remus? What else?"

"We talked about magic and its limitations... it was... interesting." Harry said.

Hermione nodded, "Then we did a potion... the-"

"Boil cure potion, not that we have any boils, mind you..." Harry said.

"Remus said he thought we did a good job though." Hermione said. "I think Harry did better than me..."

Harry just shrugged. "Then we showed Remus the hex sign we found... it was real neat. He helped us make one."

Hermione pulled out what looked like a rusty red blanket and spread it on the table. "Here it is... it's supposed to protect the house, and keep away solicitors."

"We haven't 'charged' it yet, so it doesn't work right now." Harry said. "But it's so cool. Remus showed us how to do the same thing with Runes, and next week—"

"He's going to show us the Knockback Jinx!" Hermione said eagerly. "I can't wait."

Sirius grinned and glanced up at Remus. "Looks like you've got some fans, Professor Lupin!"

"Please," Remus muttered. "I'm not a professor..."

"Not yet, but with your masters and a bit of luck, you could be." Sirius suggested with a grin. "Tutoring will certainly look good on your CV."

Remus sighed. "I suppose. Mrs. Granger, your daughter said some stuff about muggle science… would you have some good books for me to look at, I'm wondering how much applies to both worlds."

"Sure, there's some in the study, I can get them for you later," Jean said with a smile.

"Now," Sirius pulled out a set of tickets from his pocket. "I got tickets to the Puddlemere-Harpy game tonight, since the pitch is protected by muggle-repelling charms, among other things, we'll be portkeying directly to the reception area for the pitch."

"Portkeying?" Hermione asked.

"Yes... each ticket is a portkey, designed to summon you directly to the location." Sirius said with a smile. "Unfortunately, I'll have to apparate you guys home."

"Apparate?" Jean Granger asked. "What's that?"

"Magical teleportation, a bit uncomfortable, but it's really fast," Remus said. "It feels like being squeezed through a hose."

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and then grinned. "Wicked..."

After a quick supper, the family gathered in the parlor and Sirius handed out the tickets to each of them before glancing at his watch. "Okay, they should activate in the next five minutes. I want you to hold on tight to each of your tickets, don't let go. When the portkey activates, it'll feel like you're spinning for a few moments before dropping you into the arrival area. Each portkey is programmed to a different spot, so we'll have to take a few minutes to get oriented and to our seats."

"Okay... so—"

Harry was clutching his ticket excitedly when suddenly he felt a hook grab hold of him from just behind his navel and yank him through the air. The world spun, blurring by for a few seconds before suddenly stopping. He dropped to the ground, as the blue glow of the ticket faded and fell on his back.

The starry sky glittered overhead and Harry groaned, before there was a pop and another person fell from the sky, toppled, and fell across his legs.

A rather familiar sounding groan came from the figure and Harry glanced down to see a bushy head of hair slowly set up. "Hermione?"

"Harry... you okay?" She asked as she stood up and stumbled.

"Yeah..." He rolled and clambered upright as the crack of other fans arriving filled the air. After a moment, Hermione grabbed hold of his hand and scowled, looking nervously around for their parents.

They were in the middle of the grassy field, beside some woods. A dull glow came from the middle of the forest, where Harry guessed the stadium must have been.

With another crack, Sirius Black appeared before them, clutching his ticket. The man didn't stumble, but settled onto the ground as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He smiled faintly as he saw them. "Hello, you two... guess we had less time before the tickets delivered you two then I thought."

A moment later, the Grangers arrived in two cracks, stumbled on arriving. A second afterwards, Remus appeared and shoved the glowing blue ticket in the pocket of his robes.

Harry glanced at the robed figures around him nervously as he made his way over to his parents. He caught snippets of conversation from a number of people as they headed through the crowd.

"I traded tickets with Greengrass, I think he's a bit busy these days." A man said quietly. "I heard Malfoy put in a bid for the land next door to his manor just after the valuation changed... A bunch of others are probably doing the same."

Harry shrugged as he stopped before his parents and grinned. "Sirius, where are we going?"

"This way," Sirius said as he pointed toward a trail into the woods. "Just follow me."

Harry and Hermione followed Sirius along the trail until the woods cleared to reveal what Harry could only describe as a soccer pitch, with a couple tweaks. Instead of goals each end of the pitch feature three hoops that towered twenty feet into the air, each looked a bit like the ring of a bubble blower. While the pitch lacked most of the lines that were used in football, there was a single line dividing the two halves of the field.

Wooden stands were crowded along the sides of the pitch and already dozens of witches and wizards crowded the area, filling into their seats. Harry could see that there were locker rooms hidden beneath the seats where the players had to be gathered. Sirius gestured to a line of seats. "These are ours."

The whole family crowded into the line of seats, and Harry found himself squeezed between Sirius and Hermione. Dan Granger sat on Sirius's other side while Jean and Remus sat on Hermione's other side.

Lights from wands lit up the night as the group crowded in and Harry listened as a set of speakers played some rock music that included lyrics about wands, spells, and hexes. An attendant bustled down a row selling drinks, listing off prices for mead, pints of ale, butterbeer, and something called firewhisky.

The speakers crackled and the deep voice of the announcer called across the pitch. "Welcome everyone to Ilkey Moor Stadium, home of the Harpies!"

Harry grinned as he saw some members of the crowd yelling, and noticed a number of fans had somehow transfigured their eyebrows into emerald green feathers and turned their eyes into ones that looked like hawks. Many of the fans wore emerald green cloaks with gold or bronze numbers stitched to their fronts. He was immediately reminded of the atmosphere of a football match, down to the rabid fans and alcohol.

"Tonights game pits Puddlemere United against the Holyhead Harpies. Puddlemere currently stands at third in league with Holyhead sitting at seventh. I've been told by Snipe Morgan that Chaser Wilda Griffiths will be making her debut alongside Beater Gwenog Jones in her first game as a starter."

Harry glanced at Sirius who had pulled out a program from his pocket and was studying it for a moment.

"Benjy Williams has replace Jonathan Davies as Puddlemere's Seeker for the match. Team Manager Philbert Deverill, informed us that Davies is down with a nasty case of Dragonpox. Jocelind Wadcock has agreed to referee tonight's match. For many who are unfamiliar Miss Wadcock was once a member of Puddlemere United in the 1930s, her best game was against the Bailcastle Bats, where she set a record..."

Harry watched as a rather old looking witch walked out onto the pitch, her grey hair pulled back into a ponytail and a smile flashed across her face as she waved to the crowd. After a moment she mounted the broom and kicked off, circling the pitch once before landing at the center with a box.

"Now, it's time... First off, the Harpies! Gallory, Griffith, Gwirodydd, Greens, Jones, Morgan, and Gwennol!"

Harry stared in shock as seven green robed women shot from beneath his seats atop gleaming brooms, they circled the pitch in a wide arc flying in a close formation, their robes billowing around them as they passed. Gallory, the first of them peeled off from the group and came to a stop beside one set of goals while the rest of the team slowed to a stop on one side of the pitch.

"They're all girls?" Hermione stammered.

"Yeah, Holyhead is an all girl's team. Puddlemere is a mixed team." Sirius said.

"Now Puddlemere United!" The announcer called as a squadron of seven players dressed in brown robes with gold accents shot from the opposite side of the pitch. He was immediately drowned out by boos from the fans. Harry watched them, most of them were men, save one of the chasers. As the captains shook hands, Harry saw the older witch that was refereeing them nod before kicking the box at her feet.

Two black balls shot from box and whirled through the air, and Harry thought he saw a tiny gold flash as something imperceptibly small shot away from the box.

"Bludgers and Snitch are released... Play will begin once the Quaffle is released."

The old woman grabbed the red ball and tossed it straight into the air.

Suddenly both teams were a blur of green and brown robes as they lunged for the ball. The announcer called passes just with the bellowing of a name, as the two teams charged around the pitch. Harry sat his jaw slack at the sight.

Football on speederbikes, no… not even that could really compare.

"Forget football." Dan muttered under his breath.

"Griffith intercepts nice bludger from Jones on Peakes! Snipe returns the bludger. Quaffle dropped, that's got to leave a mark!"

Griffith held a gloved hand over her nose and glared at her opposte as blood began to run from the bludger strike. A moment later the teams were engaged again, as Green tore the quaffle from the Puddlemere chaser's grasp and rocketed down field, hurling the red ball toward the goals. Puddlemere's keeper shot to intercept the ball when a black bludger slammed into his stomach from Jones, nearly unseating him.

"Harpies score, ten to zero."

Screams of approval came from the stands as Puddlemere's chasers recovered the quaffle and went back into action. Harry watched the Harpies race to intercept the offensive.

"Wallace dodges Green and Griffith, he's in range... He feints! Gallory misses the save! Ten all!"

Boos erupted from their side as cheers came from the Puddlemere stands and a red spell shot from the stands and Wallace ducked to avoid it.

"Good lord, you people are as bad as us footballers." Dan said to Sirius.

Sirius laughed, "Can you blame us?"

"No." Dan admitted before grinning.

The game continued, the two teams fighting it out savagely, with the referee screaming in rage after one particular foul. Harry winced when Jones landed a solid bludger strike to Williams, nearly unseating him. Another moment, Jones and Samson were engaged in a vigorous beater's duel that fast turned into a brawl twenty feet above the pitch between the two and the referee was forced to cast a shield between them.

Hermione was slowly sinking in her seat, her face pale as she watched. She wasn't much of a fan of football, and the savagery that was being displayed by the two teams was more akin to a particularly violent Rugby match then football. Still, after thirty minutes she found herself with a bottle of some sweet tasting drink Remus called butterbeer in her hand and a growing appreciation for the sheer ability of the players to hold onto their brooms.

The score fast approached one-hundred on both sides when Williams and Gwennol shot through the midst of the chasers heading toward the ground. A gasp filled the air as Harry caught the glint of a tiny gold ball whizzing through the air.

"SNITCH!" The commentator yelled. "Williams and Gwennol have seen the snitch! Williams is in the lead... That's cobbing! Call it Wadcock!"

The two players were bumping against each other as they shot toward the ground then flattened out just above the grass in pursuit of the golden ball. A pair of black bludgers shot toward the two of them, striking Gwennol in the gut and pitching her off her broom. William snatched the tiny golden ball from the air and shot up, holding it aloft!

"Puddlemere wins, 260 to 120!" The commentator yelled before a spell from the ground caught Williams and he disappeared with a flash.

Laughter burst from Sirius at that and he shook his head. "Typical..."

Harry grinned while Hermione shrieked. "Where'd he go?"

"Don't know... he'll turn up in a couple days, they always do." Sirius said with a shrug. "So... what'd you think of Quidditch?"

"It's brilliant." Harry said with a grin. Hermione however almost looked sick.

"Blood sport, that's what it is..." Jean muttered as she grabbed Hermione's hand.

Remus shrugged. "Well, we better be getting back. I'll apparate these two."

"And I'll take Dan and Harry." Sirius said.

Harry took his hand and grinned, "Beam us up Sirius!"

When the lot of them reappeared in the Granger's living room with a pop, Harry and Hermione bolted for the loo while the older Granger's looked pale.

Sirius sighed. "I guess I should have warned you... Apparating is pretty hard on the stomach the first time."

In the loo, Harry decided that he really didn't like magical means of travel...


	10. Granddad Granger

_Author's Note: A bit of a time jump here, and our first glimpse of the extended Granger family._

_There is a lot of ambiguity in some of the things Harry says throughout this chapter, as being raised by the Grangers confuses a number of things. Who he means when he says Mum or Dad for example? Is it the Potters, or the Grangers, or both?_

_Since so much of this story fleshes out the background of the Grangers, I decided to go all out. Here we meet Mr. Granger, Dan's father. I'm not sure about the expense in the UK, but in the states, dentistry is an expensive field to get into. You have to have startup capital for your clinic, formal training and schooling, and so forth. This means that both Grangers likely come from wealthier backgrounds._

_The Granger name already exists in magical society with Hector Dagwood-Granger's mention. This suggests that the Granger line of squibs isn't that long, so… Hermione's background is that she's the product of three generations of squibs on her father's side and lord only knows how many on her mother's._

_The Grangers magical ancestors set aside a significant amount of property for their squib son's use, allowing him a better chance of survival in the muggle world. Like many poorly educated people, the man felt his best bet at a steady career was in the muggle military starting a tradition that passed on to Hermione's Grandfather and Father (who served in the Royal Navy for a short time)._

_Now, I was ten years old the first time I went trap-shooting… so I don't think what happens here is that far out of the realm of possibility._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Granddad Granger

* * *

After the Quidditch match, Harry and Hermione's lives slipped into a regular rhythm of muggle schooling during the week, and magical education during the weekend. Remus Lupin found that his two pupils absorbed the information at an astonishing rate, and while each clearly had their strengths and weaknesses, they were both intelligent and driven enough to master almost anything he put before them.

As September faded to October, it became clear that the two were advancing quickly. It took both Harry and Hermione less than two weeks to master the Knockback Jinx, and by Halloween they had moved on to the Disarming Charm and Shield Charm. In fact Harry caught onto the Disarming Charm almost immediately, using it within fifteen minutes of Remus's instruction. Hermione lagged a bit behind him in learning the practical portions of magic, but Remus thought that it was in part due to her studious nature and 'inner perfectionist' coming out.

The Shield Charm however was a different beast, and Harry immediately had problems, and while Remus continually pointed out to Harry that he wasn't even a first year attempting a fourth year charm, the boy kept pushing himself to do it. This wasn't helped by Hermione managing a flickering shield the weekend before Halloween.

The day itself however, was different for the two kids this year. Harry had long been told the story of how the Granger's had found him that night nine years earlier, but this year he heard the whole story from start to finish.

For a ten year old, it was shocking stuff. How Remus and Sirius bristled as the spoke about a man called 'Wormtail' or 'the Rat' and his betrayal of Harry's parents sent shivers down his spine. Still, after Harry and Hermione came home from school, Remus and Sirius took the Grangers to Godric's Hollow.

For Harry, it was probably the single most heartbreaking moment of his life. There before him was a slab of white marble engraved with two names and two sets of dates. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at the names, and he fell to his knees before the grave.

"James, Lils... Harry's here..." Sirius said quietly as he put his hands on Harry's shoulders trying to comfort him. "I... I found him. These people with me, they're the family that took him in."

"Mum..." Harry croaked and Jean stepped up behind him, putting her hand atop Sirius's. "I... I miss them so much, and... How can I though... when I... When I never really knew them?"

"I know... they were stolen from you." Jean said quietly. "Oh, Harry..." She slowly pulled the boy into her arms and sighed as Harry cuddled into her embrace. At the same time, Hermione wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging him, while tears filled her own eyes.

"Oh Merlin... it's all my fault." Sirius howled. "If I hadn't suggested Peter..."

"Sirius, it's not your fault!" Remus said, "None of us knew, we trusted him!"

Harry clung tighter to the only mother he'd known as Hermione tried her best to comfort him. Dan closed his eyes and chewed his lip, clearly remembering how he'd found the two who were buried there. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "We... we've done the best we could for him... He's a good boy, you should be proud of him."

Harry buried his head in Jean's shoulder and sobbed. "Mum... Dad..." He shuddered. "Take me home."

There were no Halloween celebrations at the Grangers that year. The neighbors would allot it to them being dentists. The Grangers however, spent that night with their son and his uncles, remembering what it had cost the small boy in their care.

November was a month little different than the last, and it took Harry a further two weeks to hammer out his problems with the Shield Charm, by which point Remus had begun to introduce the Stunning Spell. Encouragement was given by pointing out that once they'd managed it, Remus would be pitting the two siblings against each other in practice duels and letting the sibling rivalry that existed between the pair take over.

They managed to master it within a week, and Remus found himself wondering what to teach them next. For the last weekend of November he turned to Tonks and Sirius for suggestions. In the end Remus switched the focus from spells to the subjects that Hogwarts wouldn't yet be covering or would be covered by a professor that Tonks felt incompetent. They learned Magical Theory, History, Hex Signs, Runes, Arithmancy, Alchemy, and Potions.

To do this, Remus found himself studying those same subjects a week or two before he was to teach them the lesson, as Hex Signs and Alchemy had been outside his field of study. The close relationship between Alchemy and Potions, forced Remus to teach both as Alchemical compounds were often used in Potions and Alchemical processes often used Potions techniques.

If that hadn't been enough, Remus was studying Muggle Sciences at the same time and found that his ability to teach and understand Magical Theory and Alchemy were expanding as a result of it. His initial complaints about some of the muggle tweaks that had been done to recipes ingredient storage, and Jean's insistence that lab gloves and safety glasses were used quickly fell aside, especially when Jean had handed out breathing apparatuses after reading a particular alchemical recipe.

Remus wrote notes to himself about some of the tweaks and techniques that Jean suggested, and found the improvements well worth the occasional minimal effort. When the kids set to work on any potion, they started a separate cauldron to sterilize their tools, for example, and Remus noted that Harry occasionally went intentionally off-recipe and experimented with mixed results.

By December, Remus was reasonably certain that neither Harry or Hermione would blow up a cauldron in Potions, no matter what the instructor threw at them. He also had to admire the gusto with which the two went into the use of Hex Signs and Runic Arrays. The most common rune to appear at the Granger house was Algiz, either in arrays for protection, or, as Remus noted when he stepped inside Hermione's room, in arrays meant to improve the learning environment or support the two kid's growth.

Of course, the girl had produced a Hex Sign designed to deliver a mild stinging hex on her brother if he tried to enter the room, which Harry had answered with one of his own that delivered a bit more powerful sting since he seemed to be trying to use the Sowilo rune in almost every array. Hermione made a rather simple rug which seemed to be designed to improve memory retention and learning, as if she needed any help. The problem with all of these items however, was that as they lacked magic in of themselves, they needed to be regularly charged by the kids.

Remus didn't complain about this, as the act of charging the runes served as an exercise of the two's magic, and like a muscle it seemed to strengthen with regular use. Already the strength of their spell-casting was improving by leaps and bounds, and he'd been surprised to find that Hermione and Harry could now produce shields strong enough to stand up to their Stunning Spells.

By the last weekend before what they'd decided would be their 'Christmas Break' they'd also managed to make their first Alchemical solution of actual use: Black Crow. The dark almost blood red liquid was an amalgam that could act as a magical capacitor, capable of storing and discharging magical energy. Remus explained that in a highly magical environment like Hogwarts the ambient magic alone could fill the amalgam.

Harry discovered soon afterwards that the amalgam had qualities not that different from muggle nitroglycerin when he bumped a flask and a few drops exploded on the floor with magical energy. After the Holidays, Remus said they'd move to solidifying the material into crystals that they could use to power their runic arrays.

Still, that left the Holidays themselves. Every year since the two were five, the Grangers took an annual visit to Daniel Granger's father, Granddad Granger. The older Granger owned a fair sized parcel of land in Devon, which he'd made his home, living much like a member of the old landed gentry without a title.

So, just a few days before Christmas the Grangers clambered into the Saab and set out on the two hour journey to their Grandfather's home. Harry had sent Hedwig to Grimmauld Place for the duration of the stay in order to avoid any questions, on his parent's insistence.

It was a typically English day filled with clouds and rain, and the heavy snow that had fallen two weeks earlier had melted away, soaking the ground and turning the grass to an unusually bright green for the winter months. The two kids spent the car ride reading from their books, while Jean read from a paperback novel.

They turned off the highway and spent fifteen minutes on country roads before coming to the drive for the elder Granger's home. It was a huge house, nearly large enough to be called a manor, and Harry knew that it had once been a hunting lodge. Its walls were made of stone and mortar almost like a castle and Harry remembered how the elder Granger had told a story about how his Grandmum had bought it for his father from an old gentleman who had piled up the gambling debts.

Both sides of the family had money, as schooling to be a dentist didn't come cheap, but despite the house Granddad Granger wasn't brazen or flashy about his wealth like Jean's parents had been. There was no butler despite the size of the house, and while Harry was sure Granddad hired a maid, he always seemed to let the old woman who he employed go about the business of cleaning the house, unlike the Hudsons who made a point of managing the maid whenever the Grangers were over.

Harry didn't particularly like the Hudsons, as even Jean seemed to chafe at her parent's excesses, and they often times pointedly ignored Harry, as if they didn't consider the boy family. They also grated on Hermione, commenting on her bushy hair and overbite as if it were her fault, and commenting on how few boys would be able to keep pace with a girl like her, talking about their other grandchildren as if they were worth more.

Hermione hated it. It was one of the many reasons that aside for visiting Granddad, their parents elected to holiday away.

Dan drove along the gravel road and came to a stop before the stairs of the house. He put the car into park and smirked before glancing at the three passengers reading from their books. "We're here."

Harry hurriedly shut his book and looked up at the wooden door just before it swung open to reveal a large man. He looked to be over six feet tall and rather round. His baldhead was hidden beneath a flat-cap, and he wore an old leather coat. His bushy mustache quivered slightly as a smile crinkled his eyes and he looked down at the car.

"Danny!" Granddad Granger called jovially before pulling Dan into a hug. "And Jean, I did not expect you quite so soon." He said before nodding to back where Harry and Hermione were hurriedly unbuckling. A moment later Harry and Hermione bolted from the car and ran toward the figure of their grandfather as he opened his arms. "KIDS!"

"Granddad!" The two youngsters all but tackled the older man and he hugged them tightly. A moment later Granddad released the two of them.

"You two have grown... at this rate you'll be as big as your mum in a year, Hermione." His blue eyes flicked to Harry. "And you, you are getting bigger by the moment, how's football been?"

"Great!" Harry said with a grin.

"Well, it's great that you're here... you are staying for Christmas, aren't you?" Granddad asked as he glanced over to Dan who nodded. "Brilliant then... Let's get your stuff inside then."

The group grabbed their assorted bags and followed Granddad up into the house, and then the group dispersed to the rooms that they occupied almost every year. Harry and Hermione headed up the stairs to the second floor and the pair of bedrooms they'd used since their first trip to Granddad's house. After unpacking, they returned to the parlor to find Granddad following a Welsh Springer into the room. The old dog clambered over to Harry and nearly knocked him over as he licked his face.

"Maggie!" Harry stammered as the dog kept licking his face and he started laughing. "Maggie, please!"

"She just misses you Harry." Granddad said as he pulled the dog off him. "Calm down, you... There will be plenty of time for that later."

The dog sat and stared up at Granddad with an almost incredulous expression.

"Old Margaret found a whole covey of partridges down the hill." He said as he adjusted his flat-cap. "How about it Danny, you want to come? It's been quite a while since we had much time to talk without Jean listening in."

"Sure, though I doubt I'll hit anything." Dan said with a faint smile. "What about Harry?"

"Of course the boy can come, a nice drive through the estate will do him good. Good exercise." Granddad said as he waved Harry over. "It's a good time to teach him a bit of gun-safety."

"I suppose," Dan Granger argreed. "Come on Harry."

"I've still got your old starter Danny, give him it... it still works fine," Granddad said.

Harry followed Dan to a study and a locked display case beside the bookshelf. His mouth dropped open when Dan unlocked it and pulled a side by side shotgun from the case. "Don't tell your Mum about this..." He muttered as opened the breech and examined it for a moment. "This was my first gun, hell it was Granddad's first too." He turned it in his hands, and Harry watched a remisicent expression play across his face. "It's a Francotte .410 model 1923-H, 26-inch barrel with a 3-inch chamber, it fires .410 shotgun shells."

"Dad..." Harry chewed his lip. "Was this really Granddad's?"

"Yeah, it's been passed down since then... As you're the only Granger boy this generation..." He held it to him.

"But, I'm not a Granger," Harry stammered.

"You're as good as... Hermione wouldn't touch a gun, you know," Dan said with a faint smile. "Course, you've got something just as dangerous as this in your pocket."

"I... I do?"

"Yep, your wand," Dan said. "So, what I tell you about using this safely goes double for that bit of wood, unless you're practicing with Remus."

Harry slowly took the gun and cradled it in his hands, "Yes Dad."

"Good, now first off... the safe way to hold a gun. Treat every gun as if it's loaded and dangerous, never point it at anything you don't intend to shoot. That means the safe way to hold it is to point it either toward the ground or the sky. Granddad always carries his with the breach open, and that makes it even safer as the gun can't fire that way."

"Okay... how do you operate it?"

Dan smiled. "It snaps closed, to open the breach you just push the lever on top."

"Okay..." Harry said nervously. "Why are there two triggers?"

Dan chuckled. "One for each barrel son."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"This gun fires full with a full choke, so it's really just meant for shot..." Dan said as he tapped the ends of the barrel.

"Choke?"

"The barrel is well... constricted at the end so the shot goes out in a tight pattern." Dan explained. "It also means if you tried to fire slugs from this... well, you'd damage it."

"Okay," Harry said, growing a bit more intimidated by the weapon by the moment.

"You see the push button just behind the lever? That's the safety, when you want to shoot, push it forward," Dan said. "Don't before that, understand?"

"Yes." Harry said.

"Now..." Dan snapped the breech closed and pointed the gun skyward. "I want you to look down the barrel, do you see the little bead?"

"Yeah..." Harry said.

"That's the sight." He pushed the butt-stock into Harry's shoulder. "Now, what's Newton's third law?"

"For every action there's an equal and opposite reaction." Harry said.

"Right, so the force throwing the shot out the barrel will have an equal and opposite partner... that's recoil. When you do shoot, you'll want to keep that stock tight to your shoulder, if you don't it'll buck a bit and you can get a bruise," Dan said. "Also, the shot doesn't go instantly from the barrel to your aim point, does it... so you'll want to lead a bit, not much. I think Dad will have you practice a bit first."

Harry nodded. "Dad... are you sure?"

Dan smiled. "You'll be fine Harry."

"Okay." Harry said quietly as Dan turned to the case and pulled out two other shotguns, along with a couple boxes of ammunition, and three sets of ear protection. Harry followed Dan back to the foyer and saw that Granddad had retrieved what looked like a sling and a large cardboard box.

The group headed out the door, Harry followed as his adopted father, and grandfather bantered a bit. It seemed like they'd walked a good quarter mile before Granddad called a halt and set down the box and sling. "Danny... you always were better with this then me."

"Fine, fine..." Harry smiled as his father walked over to the box and ripped it open revealing a set of clay discs painted a bright white. Dan pulled on his ear protection. "Harry, put them on or you'll end up as deaf as Dad."

"What?" Granddad said with a laugh as he pulled on his own rather worn headset. "Lets show the boy how it's done."

Granddad Granger snapped shut the breech of his gun and Dan set a clay pigeon in his sling. Granddad lifted the gun to his shoulder and smiled faintly. "Pull!"

With a swing, Dan Granger launched the clay pigeon into the air and within a second it exploded into a mist of fine powder from a shotgun blast.

"Alright Harry, let's see how you do." Granddad said as he waved him forward and loaded the shotgun.

Harry felt his hands go slick with sweat as he nervously lifted the shotgun to his shoulder and stared down the sight picture of the shotgun at the tiny little bead. He took a deep breath and tried to quell his nervousness.

"Ready Harry?" Dan asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah..." He took another deep breath. "Pull."

The clay pigeon flew and Harry lifted the shotgun up, tracking it, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, and the clay pigeon hit the muddy field with a thump. Beside him, Granddad chuckled. "Remember the safety."

"Oh, right..." Harry said as he thumbed off the safety and reset himself.

"Ready?"

"Yeah..." Harry took another deep breath and steadied himself. "Pull!"

The clay pigeon cut across his vision and Harry swung to bear. He pulled the front trigger and blinked in surprise as a bang, audible even with ear protection, echoed around him. He felt a punch in his shoulder.

"Uh..." Harry muttered, "Where'd the pigeon go?"

"Harry... you powdered it." Dan said. "Good job."

"Cool."

* * *

Hermione sat in the massive library with a spell-book in her lap as she heard the rumble of a gunshot in the distance. She frowned slightly as she glanced up from her reading. Across from her, Mum scowled, "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know..." Hermione said before she shrugged and glanced back at her book. She'd read just a few more lines when another blast caught her ear. Her eyebrow quivered in irritation.

"You don't think?" Her mum said as she stood and headed for the window. She pushed aside the curtains and glanced out. "I can't see them."

"Daddy wouldn't take him, would he?" Hermione said.

"I think he did." She answered with a shake of her head as another shot echoed from the distance.

* * *

"How the bloody hell is the boy that good already?" Granddad said jovially. "Nine of ten, nine of ten, I'd take him snipe hunting, with that sort of skill."

Harry blushed profusely as Granddad Granger clapped him on the shoulder.

"You took me a dozen times, and we never got one," Dan Granger said.

"No one can hit a Snipe, why do you think those that can are called Snipers?" Granddad said with another laugh as he clapped Harry on the shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if you could."

"So, you think he's ready to go out with Maggie?" Dan asked.

"I'd think so," Granddad Granger said. "Maggie's been itching to go."

"Really?" Harry said. "You think I'm good enough to go with you?"

"Certainly, now..." Granddad clasped him on the shoulder. "You're old enough, and well... it's a tradition."

Unfortunately, after another hearty back-slap, Harry felt his wand tumble from his coat pocket as Granddad smiled and hurriedly looked down at the shaft of holly. He reached down to grab it, but Granddad got hold of the wand and lifted it up.

"What's this?" He asked as he rolled it in his hand. "Harry?"

Harry swallowed as he saw his adoptive grandfather examine the wand. He saw in the corner of his vision that Dan had gone white. "Umm... Just a bit of wood I found."

"Don't give me such twaddle." Granddad snapped back. "This is a wand!"

"Dad?" Dan gaped.

"Last time I saw one, I was eleven... kind of hard to forget Grandmum waving it about... banishing and conjuring, and magicking stuff." Granddad scowled. "She always was harping on my Dad, the bloody harpy. Least she got him this place."

"Great great grandmum was a witch?" Dan stammered.

"Yes and a bloody harpy," Granddad's eyes hardened. "You said both 'Mione and Harry got into a boarding school in Scotland."

"Yes, they got in... contacted us on Hermione's birthday."

"It's Hogwarts, isn't it?" Granddad said, "Mione's a witch too?"

Harry nodded and Granddad sighed.

"How do you know about Hogwarts?" Dan asked.

Granddad chewed his lip. "Let's just say, Grandmum was disappointed magic didn't come back in my generation." He handed the wand back to Harry.

"Granddad... you're not mad, are you?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm not mad..." He glanced at Harry before ruffling his hair. "Actually, I'm proud of you, of both of you."

"It doesn't change anything... I'm still Harry, you know?" Harry said.

Granddad smiled, "Yes, you are... There are some things I suppose I should show you in the house."


	11. The Granger Grimiore

_Author's Note: As Oracle2Phoenix brought up, I'm sure I'm guilty of at least some Americanization with this story, though I did attempt to research UK law during the 1990s as to the legalities of the firearms._

_There are no restrictions on shotguns in the UK besides barrel length and ammunition capacity, and of course having a shotgun certificate. I actually think having a certificate or license system in the States would be a great improvement over the current situation we have here of background checks for handguns and next to no restrictions on longarms._

_Though one subject I wasn't able to get any information on was age limits for shooting under adult supervision. I'm sure most of our UK friends would be horrified to find that most Americans, if they learn to shoot, start at around 9 years old._

_What you might be wondering about would be why I chose such an odd background for the elder Granger?_

_Well, there is some method to my madness. For one thing, the very name Granger means farmer, and as I'm sure many of you know, the value of land in Europe is quite higher than it is here. Farm and rural country is actually a motif I use for the Grangers, Weston Farm is the village they live closest to for example, and their house is an old farm house and so forth. So I went with an older landowner, who does a bit of field sport, shooting, and so forth._

_Someone Hermione wouldn't associate that much with, but Harry would._

_Bird hunting is a bit of a small rural sub-culture in England, so I took it and ran with it trying to create a bit more of an eccentric upbringing there._

_I have to admit most of my understanding of the British culture comes from a combination of BBC television, independent research, and Harry Potter books… ironically enough, so I do admit to falling back on my own cultural upbringing when I don't know something._

_And I know that a lot of times, even when you're writing about your own culture, you get things wrong… I laugh at how many American stories have the NSA with operatives (They don't have spies, sorry) or the CIA operating on US soil (The CIA is explicitly forbidden from doing that, it's the FBI that can), so I apologize if I made some of my UK followers cringe or go 'but no one has guns here!'_

_I would also like to remind you that Vernon Dursley held a rifle to Hagrid in the Philosopher's Stone, so they are around._

_Also, I didn't plan on it but it sort of happened... More Slytherin introductions appear here, enjoy._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 11:** The Granger Grimiore

* * *

Granddad led them down one of the halls to the library, his watchful gaze flicking across the two women curled up in the chairs with books in their laps. He chuckled faintly as Hermione tried to hide the title of her spell-book behind her knees.

"Alright you two, I have something to show you." He said with a grin. "Put that ruddy book away."

Hermione frowned and furrowed her bushy eyebrows before shutting the book and hopping out of the chair. She glanced over at Harry who was looking pale.

As the two of them fell in behind their Granddad, Hermione whispered. "What's going on?"

"He... he found my wand, 'Mione..." Harry murmured.

"WHAT?" Hermione snapped. "But... the statute and—"

"Oh will you two calm down, I'm not about to snap your brother's little twig." Granddad said back and the two of them jumped in surprise before looking rather sheepishly up at him as he led them through the study to what looked like a plain brick wall. With a faint smile he pushed on the center brick, then another forming a quick pattern. Then with a clack the bricks began to slowly move, shifting out of the way to form an archway just like the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Hermione's jaw dropped open as Granddad stepped inside and a set of torches flickered to life, lighting up the room. At the far end of the room a coat of arms was hanging from the wall just above a fireplace that had just crackled to life.

"Wha..."

Harry stared at the crest, his eyes widening slightly. It looked like most other heraldic family crests he'd seen. At the top, above the crest was a steel helm surrounded by a plume made of blue and gold. The shield below was blue with a band of gold. Above and below the band were gold flower blossom with a red center. In the band, a pair of portcullis was emblazoned in red.

Below the shield was a scroll with Granger in black letters.

The only other oddity was the pair of wands standing on either side of the shield, probably hinting at the magical background. Hermione stood beside him, her eyes wide. "Harry..."

Granddad chuckled. "I suppose, you wouldn't have told your dear Granddad about your school if Harry's wand hadn't popped out where I could see it."

Hermione gaped, "We're not supposed to... there's a law and..."

"I know. I'm not blaming you, though it would be quite sad if all this was lost because you never found out." Granddad said as he gestured around the room to the dusty tombs on the four main shelves. "Of course, I don't know much... My father just said that if any of my kids got a letter, I was to open this room."

Harry could feel a tingle of magic as he walked around the room, his green eyes flicking over the countless titles, some of which looked like they were written in some other languages. A couple looked like they were in Latin, and several were in runes.

He came to a stop, as a shield seemed to flicker into existence blocking his way. Beside him Hermione frowned. "Some sort of ward?"

"But... how'd Granddad get through?" Harry asked as he looked around.

Hermione frowned as she slowly stepped past Harry, moving across the ward line as if it wasn't even there. She furrowed her brow. "Maybe it's keyed to blood relatives."

A single rather worn black book stood on a podium before her, its tattered cover bearing the Granger family crest, and Hermione felt her heart almost stop.

On the cover, in heraldic lettering it said simply: Grainger.

She knew what it was, what it had to be: a family grimiore. Remus had covered Grimiores a bit earlier, and Sirius had told Harry that his family's had been lost in the attack on Potter Manor which had cost him his biological grandparents. This however wasn't her brother's family but her own.

Slowly Hermione stepped over to the book and flicked it open. She blew away a thick layer of dust. She slowly ran a hand along its surface and felt her hands tingle as the book's magic seemed to measure her own. Then the tingles stopped, and Hermione guessed it had accepted her claim to it. She slowly flicked through the pages, her eyes widening as she saw the script writhe and change beneath her gaze, shifting from Latin to colloquial English.

She murmured. "Wow..."

"What is it?" Harry asked from where he stood.

"It's... a Grimiore Harry," She breathed, "I... just wow… my family has a grimiore?"

"Hermione, what about the ward?" Harry asked from where he stood.

She jumped and began flicking through the pages of the book and scowled. "I'm looking Harry..." She scowled. "Come on, how do I deactivate the charm? He's my brother..."

With a crack, the shield flickered and died. "Hermione?" Harry called.

"He's my adopted brother..." She mumbled still flipping through the book.

"HERMIONE!"

"What?" She snapped back and froze on noticing the shield was down. "Harry?"

"It dropped when you called me your brother." Harry said.

"Okay..." Hermione said as she slowly turned back to the book. "It responds to voice commands?"

Harry just shrugged. "It's magic."

"Hey, over here..." Granddad called from an opposite wall and the two turned to find a large tapestry emblazoned with the Granger coat of arms and a mass of branches. It took a moment for them to recognize it as a family tree.

It looked almost as if a hack saw had been taken to it, and Harry saw that only a single branch seemed to carry on to the present day. He blinked as he saw his name beside Hermione's with the note 'by adoption' and there was a second family crest of black and white that was hard to make out. Both had a dull gold glow around their names. Above them were the names Daniel Granger and Jean Hudson who had a dim blue glow around their names.

Granddad and his wife were there, as was his father and mother, until a second set of names high above glowed a faint gold, despite how the leaves that represented their life had withered and died. The names were Helen Rookwood and Pollux Granger.

At the same level was a branch labeled Hector Granger who apparently had married Elen Dagwood, but never had any children.

Other branches were further up, but Harry and Hermione paid them no heed, instead they stared at their names.

"What crest is that? I can't make it out at all." Harry muttered as he leaned toward the tapestry and was almost decked by a book that had shot from the shelf.

Hermione picked the book up from the floor and chewed her lip. "Did... did the study throw this at you?"

"I think so." Harry muttered as he rubbed his head. "A library that wants to make you read it... Yeah, you're definitely a Granger." Harry added under his breath. "So what is it?"

"Nature's Nobility..." Hermione muttered as she flipped it open and her eyes widened. "It's a genealogy book about wizarding families. It's got family crests and all sorts of things. I wonder if it's self-updating or something." She started to flip through the book and Harry watched as a half a dozen family crests came and went before it she stopped on the Granger Coat of Arms. There beside the crest was a truncated version of the family tree, but instead of listing their grandparents, Hermione and Harry were alone below the older magical Grangers, with Hermione being listed as a muggleborn.

"Ugh... but it doesn't show our parents!" Hermione grumbled. "I guess it just records 'magical' people."

"Hermione... look up Potter." Harry said.

Hermione's eyes widened slightly and she flipped through the book until she came to a family crest. Harry's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the crest. The shield was black with a diagon stripe of white with black drops that he recognized as being the symbol for 'ermine' fur. There were three cinquefoils on the crest as well in white. Hermione squinted at the description of the shield's meaning.

"Let's see, the diagonal band means defense or protection, the use of fur is a mark of dignity or nobility... in the Wizarding World it is only considered proper for Ermine to be used in the crest of the oldest houses. The sable means constancy or... grief." Hermione said. "Though the three cinquefoils are symbols for hope and peace."

Harry's attention though was drawn to the family tree and he felt his throat tighten. There were his parent's names, even his grandparent's names. On the Potter side at least... he'd never known them, not any of them really. He glanced back at Hermione who was starting to flip through the crests at random.

"So many families." Hermione muttered.

"What's your crest mean, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.

"Well, umm the portcullis mean strength in defense and the gold band is about military duty... blue means truth and loyalty, and gold means generosity or the elevation of the mind. Red is... warrior or martyr, I guess that goes with the portcullis and most flowers are about hope and joy." Hermione said.

"Yours is cooler..." Harry muttered.

"It's yours as well, you're a Granger too!" Hermione insisted. "I wonder... Some of the books mention the use of the family crest on formal wear and so forth. I bet an etiquette book would say, but anything here would be really out of date."

"Well, let's look around some more." Harry said. "What about mum and dad?"

"Granddad! Why don't you get mum and dad and show them this place?" Hermione said.

"Good idea, I'll be right back." He said with a smile before heading out through the archway. "Just stay out of trouble while I'm talking with them?"

"We will." Harry assured him before a book shot from the shelf and decked him in the head. Scowling he picked it up and blinked. "Oh come on..."

"What?"

"_How to Stay Out of Legal Trouble_ by Douglas Highway," Harry muttered the title as he picked it up.

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles at that. "The library knows you so well!"

By the time their parents returned, Harry and Hermione had begun to dig through the library, growing more and more curious by the moment as they found more and more books. It seemed that the last magical Grangers had insisted on preparing any descendent of theirs for reentry into magical society. Of course, many of the books seemed a bit dated, but then Harry wondered if that wasn't because wizarding society wasn't already a bit dated.

Of course, there was also the fact that Hermione was effectively the only member of an extinct family of wizards, and Harry wondered how many other muggleborns were in a similar position and simply never discovered that fact. Of course that chain of thought lead to a book leaping from the shelves into his hands about family responsibilities, house rules of honor, challenges, and dueling.

Dueling! Harry almost toppled onto the floor when he read that, suddenly remembering Dumbledore's speech on the dangers of the Wizarding World. Dueling was legal in the wizarding world so long as the duelists limited themselves to non-lethal spells, despite the so-called 'International Ban on Dueling' which Harry found would be better described as the 'International Ban on Lethal Dueling'.

The rules, Harry found, were remarkably similar to those that Hermione found in Jane Austin novels and he read about when Daniel had pushed C.S. Forester on him. Each duelist had a 'second' or 'friend' who could take over in case the duelist was incapable of participating duel to previous injury or illness, and the seconds were the ones that arranged the location of the duel and set the rules to ensure they were fair.

At that moment, Harry swore that if either himself or Hermione was ever challenged, it would be the other that would be their second.

Their parents were quite simply stunned by what they found in the room, and they quickly joined in on reading up on their magical heritage.

The Granger grimiore turned out to be a rather interesting artifact, but not nearly as useful as Hermione had hoped. A large amount of the information written inside was about potion techniques and rituals that Hermione decided were far to advanced to even consider experimenting with. Of course, there were other oddballs like the charm to increase soil fertility. Which Hermione mentally chucked in the 'interesting but not really useful' box of information she kept in her mind.

Of course there were also spells that caused the eleven year old to flush and slam shut the book, trying to hide her embarassment. The grimiore was meant for the most private of knowledge for a family, and while 'great great great grandmum's pepper up potion recipe' would certainly end up within it, other things did as well. Like... contraceptive charms, fertility charms, rituals, and family wards.

In some ways it was the single most tedious book to read. The pages were covered with notes, birthdates, changes, and other anomolous bits that left her head throbbing. It wasn't organized in any fashion, what it seemed like at times was as if the successive generations had written notebooks and journals one atop the other, and allowed those that followed to comment and tweak the processes shown.

In irritation, she turned the grimiore to the last page and scowled, hoping that the last Granger to have it had left her a bit of advice. What she found was little more than an elaborate potion and some notes about corresponding with a 'Hector' about tweaking the amount of fennel seeds in the third step.

She huffed and turned back to the early pages and sighed. There was one thing she had to admit about those first hundred or so pages. They were painstakingly illuminated, as if a monk had taken the time to decorate the book, when left to to his own devices. Of course, Hermione guessed that could well be the truth of the origin of the gold leafed pages and decorations. A Granger had once been the person charged with running the convent's farm.

She flipped through another page and found herself staring at an image of a runic array that she couldn't make head or tails of. With a sigh she moved on to the next page where she found a detailed recipe for a luck potion.

"Gah! How about something useful for an eleven year old!" Hermione said and suddenly the book tore itself from her grasp. It flipped through hundreds of pages before it opened on a page with a detailed description of a spell. "Glamour charm... No, no, no!"

Hermione dug through hundreds of pages before she stopped before another page. "Sibling Control Curse..." She studied it for several moments before shaking her head. "Blood relations only..."

She sighed and turned the page, skimming across a couple more notes before stopping on another spell, "_Pulso Pulvinus_, the Pillow-Fighting Charm."

A slow smirk played across her lips as she read the description, pulled out her wand, and pointed it toward the back of Harry's head. After mimicking the movements for a moment and muttering the incantation under her breath, she decided to give it a practice run. With a twirl she snapped, "_Pulso Pulvinus_."

Harry spun around just in time to find a bright blue feather pillow smash him over the head and burst, sending conjured feathers in all directions. Hermione burst into giggles as she saw Harry disappear beneath the cloud of downy feathers.

"Wicked," Hermione said as the pillow and feathers dissolved in the air leaving Harry standing there looking irritated.

"Really? That's all you found in there?" Harry said as he scrambled over to her.

"NO!" Hermione said as she clutched the grimiore to her chest and dodged a swipe from her brother.

"A pillow-throwing spell?" Harry muttered as he dove at her and tickled her sides. Hermione fell, giggling all the more, clutching the book to her chest as she tried to twist out of his grip.

"STOP! NO MORE!" Hermione screamed as Harry kept tickling her. "No more!"

"Teach me that spell then." Harry said with a grin.

"Fine!" Hermione harrumphed.

It saddened Hermione that it was the one spell that seemed to be the most use for her that she'd found at first, and she frowned as she noticed the feeling of fatigue that had slowly come over her. Conjuring a pillow apparently took quite a bit more effort than anything else she'd done.

Still there was a history there, and while Hermione had always been proud of her parents, a sense of familial pride filled her when she looked up at the family tree. She felt privileged to be part of a long line of wizards, proud to be a Granger.

Over the next few hours, Harry found himself beginning to wish that he hadn't sent Hedwig to Sirius for the break, as he was sure that they could use the help of Remus and Sirius with the study.

Of course, there also was the study's uncanny ability to chuck books at him based on his spoken thoughts. The most ironic of which had been a tome full of medicinal spells and potions after complaining about the welt he was getting on his head from the thrown books.

Hermione had managed to find a handful of other spells that were of use to the two siblings. There were a couple jinxes and hexes that she refused to share, which made Harry a bit worried about his safety. A few times, he found Hermione blushing immensely as she read, and Hermione would bolt if he attempted to peek at the book in those moments.

Those few she had shared though seemed to be much more advanced magic then they'd dealt with before. There was _Custodio Domus_, the Home-Security charm, which strengthened wards with the caster's magic, and _Ridiculam Felicis_, the Funny-Luck jinx which essentially caused the most embarrassing of luck to occur to the target for a while. Even the more amusing and fun charms and spells she found were ones that seemed to push their magic to its limits, even if it was something as simple as a Feather-Tickling spell, Tripping jinx, or Phantom-Tapping spell.

Granddad seemed quite enthused when he witnessed the two of them trying spells they found, and laughed when the two of them descended into a long-range pillow fight with the first spell she'd tried out.

Still, they spent most of their time in the hidden library over the next few days, until Harry's patience with the equivalent of book study wore thin and he practically begged to get out of the house.

Granddad Granger chuckled at that and convinced Dan to come along as well when they headed out across the marshy ground with loaded bird guns and Maggie padding after them. The old hunting dog led them into the middle of the covey of pheasants and partridges, driving the birds from their hiding spots.

The crack of bird-guns filled the air and after an hour, they'd managed to bag a half-dozen of the birds. It was only later that day that Harry came to regret their choice of sport when Granddad and Danny set to work showing Harry how to pluck a pheasant. It was a rather disgusting job preparing the birds. It didn't get any better when Hermione wandered into the room and mentioned that there was a plucking spell in one of the study's tomes.

Harry had just groaned and hit his head on the top of the counter on learning that. At least Granddad was a good cook, better then mum was even, so that their work went into a good meal.

It took a bit of coaxing, but Harry managed to get Hermione out of the study a few afternoons later, convincing her to have a bit of fun outside the books. The result was a snowball fight that left the two of them soaked and breathless before Granddad stuck them by the parlor and forced huge steaming mugs of cocoa into their hands.

By then Christmas was just around the corner.

* * *

A bang echoed in the dueling chamber as Tracey dove under a volley of arrows. Daphne smirked faintly as she twirled her wand again and another arrow burst from the tip.

Tracey spun out of the way and glared at Daphne, "You and your Appleby fetish."

The two girls had gotten their first wands just a few weeks earlier and already the two of them were working hard to learn enough spells to survive at Hogwarts. Tracey wasn't a fool, if she ended up in Slytherin, she knew she'd need to carve her own niche in the web of power plays and plots. As a half-blood, she was sure she'd be at the bottom of the pile until she proved herself.

In the house of cunning, that meant earning her place, either by magic or by guile... or both.

_"Eruca Percusso!"_ Tracey snapped and what looked like three rockets shot from her wand and screamed across the room. Daphne dove out of the way as each exploded like a cracker, echoing in the chamber. _"Aculeus!"_

The stinging hex shot through the smoke and caught Daphne who let out a shriek of surprise.

"Okay, I give..." Daphne said as the two girls stood in the chamber breathing hard, their magic teetering on the edge of exhaustion from the short duel.

Tracey dropped to the floor and gasped for breath. "Tired..."

"Me too, _Sagittelum_... takes too much energy." She wobbled on her feet.

"Conjuring... is hard work." Tracey gasped for breath and let out a sigh. Then both girls toppled to the floor.

"Wake me when it's September." Tracey murmured before she fell asleep.

* * *

Draco Malfoy took a deep breath as he watched the various functionaries that his father had invited over to dinner that night. There was the senior Greengrass family, the Notts, Parkinsons, and others he had been told were worth knowing amongst the functionaries. There were also some that had been invited by his father due to political necessity rather than actual like.

At least Amelia Bones hadn't brought her niece along.

He squirmed as his mother brushed aside his blonde hair and made sure his robes were perfectly groomed while the black marble of the ballroom glimmered from the torchlight of a dozen green flames that lined the walls. His father spoke in quiet tones with Nott senior, a man who looked to be nearly twice the age of his father.

"Hello Draco." A cool voice called from the side and he glanced over to find the thin and rather weedy figure of Nott's only son leaning against the side of the wall, his arms folded over his chest.

Theodore's pale grey eyes focused on the scene of elegance and grandeur, scanning the assembled throng before settling on their fathers speaking amicably to each other.

"So... Another night of maneuver and discussion," Theo observed to Draco. "Any entertainment?"

"Not really," Draco admitted with a shrug as his mother stepped away. "Father wants me to be seen a bit before Hogwarts starts next year."

"The Greengrasses are here, but they didn't bring their kids," Theo observed. "Perhaps they don't want to bore them with this... display."

"Pansy's here," Draco said. "So we're not completely alone..."

Theo didn't answer and Draco knew that Theo didn't particularly care for the simpering girl.

"So... Who else is here?"

"Fudge, his undersecretary, the director of St. Mungos, some others I don't know..." Draco scanned the crowd and frowned slightly. "Slughorn."

Theo shrugged. "Boring gala... I'd rather be out of here... but father insists." The boy gave a slight shiver at those words. "I'd rather not make him angry again."

"What'd you do this time?" Draco drawled.

"Left the house, went to Diagon Alley, bought some books... hid them under my bed." Theo shrugged. "Father added some detection wards I didn't notice."

Draco flinched, he knew that Nott senior wasn't against the use of corporal punishment in the least, and that magic gave one a number of other means to punish children.

"Three seconds for three books, I don't think it was a bad trade." Theo said with another shrug and Draco's pale face went even whiter.

"Three seconds of what?" Draco asked, but Theo had slipped back into the shadows and slipped away as Pansy Parkinson scrambled over to him with a simpering smile that wiped all thought of the punishment Theo suffered from his mind. Maybe the gala wouldn't be so bad after all.


	12. Christmas Holiday

_Author's Note: I figure I should explain a bit about grimiores, as my take of them seems to be a bit different then other peoples. It should be noted that grimiores are never mentioned in the canon, but… there are a number of objects that are of a rather similar function._

_The most obvious of which is the Half-Blood Prince's book, which contained tweaked instructions for potions, new personal spells of his own invention, and so forth. A family grimiore is essentially the sum of generations of tweaking instructions for potions, inventing spells, and writing in the book. It also serves a bit like the 'family bible' did on the United States frontier, where people would often write about important family events in the empty margins of the book (deaths, births, and so forth). The only other difference is that the book is essentially of nearly infinite pages and has a preservation charm, Hermione's example has a translation charm as the older books would have been entries written in Latin, Welsh, Runes, and Middle or even Old English._

_There are, of course, powerful spells that were invented or perfected by the family over successive generations. At the same time, like most things, the vast majority of spells will be more likely to be utility spells for everyday living._

_I've decided to really push the idea that it's 1990 in this chapter, so you'll see references to a number of big hits from the time frame, well in novels anyway._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 12:** Christmas Holiday

* * *

Ginerva Molly Weasley woke to a heavy weight bouncing atop her bed and growled in irritation as her brown eyes snapped open to take in the image of her brother Ronald, the git, looking gleeful. Out her window, a smattering of snowflakes blew past as she sat up and glared at Ron.

"It's too—" Her tirade immediately stopped as she remembered the date and leapt from her bed. "PRESENTS!"

The two siblings rushed out the door and down the stairs as other members of the house woke from the ruckus of their passage. The two scrambled for the tree and stopped in shock.

"Wicked..." Ron muttered. "There must be twice as many as last year."

"More..." Ginny said under her breath.

A small mountain of wrapped gifts sat around the tree, easily seeming to dwarf the tree. At the top a garden gnome grumbled from where he'd been painted silver to use as a angel.

"Blimey..." Ron muttered. "Did Dad get a raise or something?"

"Actually, he didn't."

Percy Weasley said as he walked down the stairs and glanced over the gifts. He chewed his lip for a moment and frowned. "I don't understand how we managed this..."

"I do!" The twins, Fred and George, shouted gleefully as they ran down the steps, "Dad's finally taken Bill's offer to send money home!"

"No, that's not it." The tall form of the eldest son of the Weasley family said from top of the stairs. "He didn't accept anything from me."

"Nor me." Charlie, the second oldest son said from just behind Bill. "Not that I have much, mind you."

"Then how did this happen?" Ron asked. "Dad wouldn't take bribes..."

There was a creak from the top most stair and the whole crowd of children turned to find their father and mother walking down the steps clad in their bathrobes. The elder Weasley glanced around at his children. "What is it?"

"Well, father, we don't understand how... we got so many gifts this year," Percy said carefully.

"Oh, that's easy to explain. I suppose you noticed the change to the galleon exchange rate offered by Gringotts?" Arthur Weasley said.

Bill and Percey nodded, but the rest didn't, so Arthur decided to explain. "Well... For years the exchange rate was five muggle pounds to the galleon... which was set by the ministry. This changed a few months ago so that the exchange rate is equal to the price of the gold in a galleon in the muggle market. This made it so the exchange is around fifty muggle pounds to the galleon. This caused a number of other things to change in price, food doesn't cost nearly as much as it did and muggle imported goods got to be a lot cheaper. Most of the clothes you lot like are muggle made so..."

Molly Weasley smiled. "We took ten galleons and exchanged them for pounds and went shopping at a muggle hall—"

"Mall, dearest." Arthur smiled. "It was a bit of an adventure, but we were able to buy all sorts of things for you."

"Muggle things?" Percy said with a frown.

"Oh, and those sweaters you like aren't muggle made?" Fred said.

"Or the stocking cap you wear at night?" George added.

"What about—"

"Fine! I like muggle made clothes... I just, was hoping for new robes." Percy said the last in a bit of a whisper.

"Plus, the lower food costs have let us save up a bit, for some other things." Molly said with a faint smile.

Ginny smiled as she glanced at the pile of gifts. "Wow..."

"So, we're really not that poor?" Ron asked.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, YOUR FATHER IS AN OFFICE HEAD AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC, THAT'S NOT A POOR MAN'S JOB..." She took a deep breath and sighed. "We just had nine mouths to feed, a mortgage, and other expenses..."

Ron cringed and swallowed. "So... I don't understand."

"Don't worry about it Ron, you will someday." Arthur said with a faint smile. "Now, let's see what you lot got."

* * *

Harry woke on Christmas day to a familiar bushy-haired girl bouncing on his bed. It was one of those rare moments where Hermione's childish and girly sides showed through the bookish girl. She grinned as he blinked away the sleep from his eyes.

"Mione..." Harry muttered before bolting up and tickling the girl for all she was worth. Immediately Hermione screamed with laughter before toppling off the bed with a thump.

"NOT FAIR!" She said before pulling herself upright with a groan.

Harry gave her a wicked grin as he pulled on his glasses and sat up in bed. He was about to speak up when a clatter at the window drew his attention. He gaped at the snowy owl sitting on the ledge with a pair of letters attached to her talons and what looked like a pair of wrapped presents.

"HEDWIG!" Harry shouted as he ran over to the window and pulled it open. The owl scrambled into as Harry shivered from the chilly air outside and shut the window behind her.

"She's got presents!" Hermione said with a grin. "And she found us!"

"Hedwig is a clever girl." Harry said as he brushed her feathers and pulled the packages from her talons. "You want to stay for a while?"

Hedwig bobbed her head happily as Hermione grabbed the package with her name on it and one of the notes. "Should... should we take them downstairs or open them here?"

"Granddad knows so there's no reason not to..." He stopped and looked up at Hermione. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, little brother," Hermione said with a grin before bolting for the door. "Come on, there's presents!"

"Right!" Harry shouted as he ran after her. Hedwig gave chase to the two of them, following them down the staircase before the group slid into the parlor where the Christmas tree stood along with a small mountain of gifts that surrounded it. Already Granddad was carrying in a tray laden with bacon, eggs, and sausages. In his other hand he had a tea service balancing on a tray.

Mum and Dad were sitting on the sofa across from the tree, clad in their bathrobes and nightclothes as the group ran in. Dan and Jean gaped as Hedwig followed them and landed atop one of the lamps on the end table, balancing precariously there as her golden eyes flicked across the group.

"Hedwig? What's going on?" Jean asked while Granddad set down the trays on the coffee table and glanced at the bird.

"Well, she's not native..." Granddad Granger said as Maggie ran into the room and skidded across the floor as she saw Hedwig. The bird-dog's eyes locked on Hedwig and she scrambled toward the bird.

"OH NO!" Hermione shouted.

"HEDWIG!"

"MARGARET THATCHER!"

Hedwig shot into the air just as Maggie knocked over the lamp she'd been using as a perch and circled the chandelier overhead once before settling atop a bronze fixture and glaring down at Maggie who was staggering from her collision with the lamp. Before the dog could recover, Granddad grabbed the dog by the collar. "Margaret, you calm down now!"

The old Welsh Springer glanced between Granddad and Hedwig looking a bit pitiable, as if she was trying desperately to tell him that there was a bird on the chandelier.

"Leave the bird alone." Granddad said sternly and Maggie made a whimpering sound before glancing away. "She's not a game bird anyway."

"Hedwig?" Harry called and held out his arm. The snowy owl fluttered from her perch and landed on his arm, balancing there.

"So... why do you have a Snowy Owl, Harry?" Granddad said before smacking his forehead. "Of course... Owl Post, not that I saw much of that mind you, and nothing after my Grandmum died."

Harry nodded before glancing at Hedwig. "It must have seemed strange."

"Of course, it was very strange... at times I thought it was just the dreams of my youth or something, when there wasn't any sign of magic with Danny... well, I just figured it might be best to forget it. Now... if you've got Owl Post on Christmas—"

Jean chose that moment to speak up. "After Hogwarts contacted Hermione, Harry's Godfather made contact... seems the poor man had been searching for us for years. He would have been Harry's guardian but... after having him for nine years. He thought it best not to break up our family."

"Oh... So then you know a bit more about your parents then, brilliant." He smiled at the two of them. "I would gather that you got some Christmas packages then?"

"Yeah..." Harry said as he glanced at the package he'd taken from Hedwig.

The two young wizards sat down with their gifts and notes, nervous at sharing this part of their life with their Granddad despite his apparent knowledge of the world.

Harry slowly opened his note and took a deep breath as he took in the lines from his Godfather.

_Dear Pup,_

_I know we promised to keep Hedwig for the Christmas, but it just didn't feel right waiting for you to get back for our presents. I hope she doesn't attract too much attention at your Granddad's. _

_Anyway, I figured that you two deserved some more 'magical' gifts for Christmas. The gifts are really for both of you, but well... one is more fitting you, Harry, then the other. As the Potter grimiore was destroyed a while back, we purchased an empty book and enchanted it as a grimiore for your own family. You'll have to copy down your own discoveries and we'll share with you what little we know was in the original._

_I wanted to get you a broom, but Moony talked me out of it, apparently there's a new model of Nimbus so… maybe next year._

_We gave Hermione a book as well... Of course, this one was a bit more up her alley I think. It's a book on muggle-magical cultural exchanges. It's actually quite fascinating, and Moony's been reading up muggle stuff since he started teaching you lot. Half the time I have no idea what he's talking about with atoms and elements... Ninety-eight natrual elements, what is he reading anyway? _

_Anyway, the thing is that there are a lot of legends that come from each world. There's a funny story in the book about an American curse breaker that lost his magic on a dig and made a living with some sort of dice game called 'Dungeons and Dragons'._

_Enjoy your books. Moony really misses giving you lessons._

_Love,_

_Padfoot and Moony_

Harry sniffed before glancing at Hermione who had just finished her own note and the two of them grinned at each other before tearing into the wrapping and pulling out a set of books.

The heavy book that he held looked like a brand new version of Hermione's own Grimiore, with the black and white Potter family crest inscribed on the front cover. In the top corners were two smaller family crests, one that he recognized as one he'd seen at Grimmauld Place, and the other had a blood red top and a dark grey bottom that met in pattern reminiscent of castle battlements. Three white leopards prowled the crest, growling as they moved from the enchantments on the book.

"Must be Lupin's family coat of arms," Harry murmured as he glanced over at Hermione who was flipping through the book she'd been given a slight smile on her face.

"So, you're awfully quiet... what'd Harry's Godfather send you?" Dan said after a moment.

Harry swallowed as he lifted up the book to show them. "It's a grimiore... well, an empty grimiore. I hope Mione will share some spells to put in it." He gave his sister a slight grin.

She giggled. "I'll find some that are suitable for you, Harry." Then she lifted up her book, showing them the title: _The Fuzzy Line Between Mundane and Magical Legends_ by _Gregori Gygax._

Harry shrugged. "Neat..."

"Anyway, there's a lot in here about magical creatures that mundane folk know about or have legends of and their reality in the magical world. There's also a couple mentions of magical legends that the author posits might simply real creatures or entities hidden from the wizarding world." Hermione said.

"So our 'hidden world' has a hidden world of its own, hmm?" Harry said with a teasing tone. "I think I'm more than satisfied trying to understand the wizarding world, delving deeper would drive me round the twist."

Hermione snorted. "Okay, little brother... We should start on the other gifts, right?"

"Right!"

The two kids dove into the pile of gifts, tearing through the wrapping paper. What they got was an eclectic mix of different things. Hermione got a brand new flute, a set of music books, a number of various books about a wide variety of subjects ranging from quantum mechanics (a subject that even a genius like Hermione felt turned her brain to mush), mathematics, and history to mythology, romance novels, and a heavy volume of C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. There was also a scattered selection of clothes, which fit, and a training bra which Hermione immediately decided to hide instead of showing the others.

Harry received a different selection of books. From Granddad there was a book on the history of the SAS, a novel from an American named Tom Clancy, and _Lieutenant Hornblower_ by C.S. Forester. From his parents there was the usual selection of clothes, a few games of the sort that he and Hermione played, _The Valley of Fear_ and _The Lost World_ by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Michael Crichton's _Jurassic Park_.

He was a Granger, so the books were little surprise, and Harry admitted that like any ten year old, he thought dinosaurs were cool. Still, they were books that most would consider a bit on the advanced side for their kids.

Of course, the Grangers were the sort to push the envelope and encourage their children to go above and beyond the world's expectations.

"Thank you." Harry said with a grin as he flipped open one of the novels and started to read.

_1. There are Heroisms All Round Us_

_Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was the most tactless..._

With that, Harry's mind was engaged in a lost world in the Amazon, not to return to the present until his stomach rumbled for lunch.

Harry guessed that very few kids his age would spend Christmas morning reading a new novel, but then he was Hermione's brother. It wasn't that unusual, was it?

* * *

Draco Malfoy furrowed his brow as he looked through the various gifts that had been given to him. There was a silver gobstone set, which while nice wasn't exactly something Malfoy felt 'proper' for him to play. A set of new finely made robes of acromantula silk woven with ermine was rather fetching, but still didn't feel right to the blonde boy. Of course, for his family there was the question, what do you get the boy that has everything already?

He got a new broom, the latest model of Comet 260 racing brooms, and a number of books. Draco looked over the other items he'd been given and chewed his lip. There was a silver and black ivory chess set and the new potions kit that his Godfather had sent him.

For some reason it didn't leave him feeling satisfied. He couldn't put his finger on why.

He was a Malfoy, and on this day of celebration and feasting he felt bored and unsatisfied. It didn't seem right, and as he glanced at his parents relaxing in the parlor with a glass of elven wine in each hand he wondered why. He had the best available in the wizarding world, what more could he want? What more could he need? Nothing and that confused him as to his desire for more.

Draco was many things, but he was not stupid. He simply didn't understand how empty his parent's mansion felt on that day set aside for family. He didn't know the experience of a wealth of love and family.

This was not to say he was not loved, but both his parents were demanding people. His father wasn't the sort to show his emotions, and many felt that all the man could display was arrogance, or anger. Draco knew that his father was deeper than that, but the subtle nod of acknowledgement he was most likely to receive when he performed well was rather little attention for a young child.

He sighed and glanced at the collection of silver gobstones. Maybe a game wouldn't be too childish an affair for him.

* * *

Ginny Weasley felt her cheeks heat up as she wore the bright pink jumper she'd gotten that morning and glanced at the collection of toys and gifts that she hadn't asked for this year. Most were of a decidedly femimine nature. There was a dollhouse, a few enchanted dolls, and a couple muggle dolls made of some soft plastic.

She glanced at the collection of older toys, some of them which had been enchanted by her father. A sigh slipped from her lips before she glanced at her brother, Ron, clambering up the stairs with his arms laden with various gifts.

They had new things, both muggle and magical...

It was different this year, and Ginny was no longer really sure if it was for the best. She missed the handed down toys from her brother, the time everyone spent together playing and talking, and she had discovered that pink was definitely amongst her least favorite colors.

At least her father had managed to get ahold of an emerald jacket with the Harpies insignia on it. If it weren't for mum she'd be wearing that instead of the pink jumper that was one part of the traditional Weasley Christmas that hadn't changed, at least not yet.

She knew that she wasn't living up to the hopes her mother had for her, but what could mum expect her to be like with six older brothers. Of course she was tough and rather boyish in her tastes. Sure, it had not helped having to take hand me downs from elder brothers.

There was a knock on the door and after a moment Dad slipped inside. He smiled faintly as she turned to him. "Sparkplug."

"Daddy!" Ginny said before hugging her father tightly. "Thank you for the Harpies jacket!"

He chuckled. "You're welcome Sparkplug. Your mum thought you'd like a couple jumpers but I managed to convince her to get that instead." He pulled a small slip of paper from his jacket. "I also got these..."

Ginny blinked at the ticket stub and then slowly felt her jaw drop. "Are those..."

"Harpies tickets for the two of us, next month. I got a set for the everyone..." He grinned as Ginny engulfed him in a hug. "Happy Christmas sparkplug."

"Thank you Daddy."

* * *

The Grangers crowded around the table as Granddad served dinner, a Christmas goose formed the main course. Both Granddad and Jean had crowded into the kitchen just before tea time to start the elaborate meal. There were tarts, puddings, jams, salads, and cakes to go along with the main course.

The food was delicious and after dessert both kids soon felt the combination of exhaustion and rather full stomachs driving them up the stairs and toward their beds while their parents and Granddad had a nightcap.

Harry sat up and read his new books as the snow began to fall out the window. Slowly he fell asleep as Doctor Grant got an X-ray from Costa Rica about identifying some 'lizard' that had been found on a beach.

_"Doctor Grant!" A voice called out and he blinked his eyes open. A hazy and rather fuzzy image of what he could only imagine was the Montana Badlands appeared before him as a wind blew across the dark grey hills._

_"We found something!" The voice yelled and Harry turned to see an intern running up the hills, gasping for breath. "You've got to see this Dr. Grant!"_

_Was that him? He thought for a moment before running down the hill, clasping the hat to his head as he stumbled across the loose soil kicking up clouds of dust. A moment later he slid to a stop before the crowd of interns, hurriedly brushing away the dirt._

_"What is it?" Harry asked as one of the interns stepped back revealing a giant dinosaur like skull._

_"This is the Neolithic layer though, it can't be..." One of the interns muttered as Harry bent over the skull and pulled a brush from his belt, batting away some of the loose dirt before suddenly there was a flash._

_Where there had been a skull a massive head covered in scales, a eye that gleamed like a diamond stared up at him for a long moment before the massive skull jerked and rose from the dig sight, it's head twisting to follow Harry as he scrambled away. Two huge horns shot from the back of the creature's skull and twisted forward like the horns of a ram. Green flames shot from it's eyes as it roared._

_There was a scream and a jet of brilliant green flames shot from the beasts mouth. Harry's eyes went wide as he felt terror fill his soul for an instant. Then he awoke with a jolt as his vision filled with green light._

_Jurassic Park_ tumbled from his chest and he groaned as Hedwig stared down at him from her perch by the window. Harry let out a sigh. "What a strange dream..."

Outside the snow had stopped and darkness reigned supreme. Harry glanced out the window and frowned for a moment before closing his book. Maybe he shouldn't read such things right before bed. He smiled faintly as he set the book on the end table and stared up at the ceiling.

It had been a good Christmas.

* * *

Tracey Davis curled up in the sofa with a book, _An Introduction to Arithmancy_, in her lap. Beside her on the sofa, her mother was fast asleep as the telly showed A Christmas Carol for the tenth time that day.

With a sigh Tracey picked up the remote and turned off the telly before tossing the remote back onto arm of the sofa. Then she shut her book and set it on the end table before sliding over and leaning against her mother before slowly drifting off and joining her in the realm of dreams.


	13. The Black World's Shadow

_Author's Note: In this chapter, I'm going back to the idea of how the magical and mundane worlds interact a bit more._

_After a few rather light and magical chapters, it's time to go dark, black, and mundane. One World means One World, and what muggle agency do you think most likely to get involved in the events and combating a certain Dark Wizard?  
_

_Also, there's a huge shout out in this chapter to a certain movie that came out in 1992... Patriot Games. Hope you guys enjoy this rather radical left turn._

_EDIT: Did some slight tweaks and fixed a couple names._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 13:** The Black World's Shadow

* * *

On Boxing Day, Harry sent Hedwig back to Grimmauld Place with a letter telling him of their discoveries at the elder Granger's house and asking for help with the library and moving much of it back home to Canon Road. Just a few days later, the two Marauders arrived by Sirius's motorbike with a chest with an undetectable expansion charm.

The whole troop met them as they arrived.

"My word, a Triumph Bonneville T120," Granddad Granger said with a chuckle as he extended a hand to Sirius. "Welcome to the Granger Farm, you lot must be the wizards we've been waiting for."

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other before Sirius took Granddad's hand and gave it a good shake. "Mr. Granger I presume. I'm Sirius Black, and this fellow here is Remus Lupin." He jerked his thumb to Remus clambering out of the sidecar.

"So you're Harry's Godfather then?" Granddad asked before glancing at the motorbike. "Isn't this... a bit odd for a wizard?"

Sirius chuckled. "Perhaps, but then I've got rather odd tastes for a wizard."

Remus rolled his eyes at that. "It's too damn cold and drafty for this weather, you really should consider getting an actual car if you're so insistent on mundane transport."

"A car? That's too..." Sirius waved his hand. "Too..."

"Ordinary? Boring?" Harry suggested.

"Practical?" Hermione added.

"Something like that." Black said with a shrug. "Let's get inside and get to work."

Granddad was greatly amused by the two wizards, and spent hours talking to the two of them. It seemed to Harry that Sirius was almost as intrigued by the elder Granger as Granddad was with him.

Remus was rather amused when the two kids got into a pillow-fight wielding the charm Hermione had found in the family Granger Grimiore. Still, after all the time they'd had without tutoring sessions, he insisted that the two of them to practice their dueling spells the afternoon after they arrived.

Harry swallowed nervously as he stood in the midst of the empty dining room, his wand held loosely in his grasp. Across from him, Hermione stood with her own vine wand in her hand, her bushy hair tied back with a bit of tinsel, and a hard expression set on her face. Remus stood between them, like a referee, while the others were behind a hastily drawn ward line. Granddad, Jean, Dan, and Sirius all stood watching them.

"Bow..." Remus said as he glanced between them, and the two siblings bowed to each other before lifting their wands to what had become their 'ready' positions. A moment later Remus stepped out of the way. "Begin!"

_"Stupefy!"_ Harry shouted as Hermione tumbled roughly out of the way of his stunner.

_"Pulso Pulvinus!"_ She snapped and Harry blinked in surprise as a pillow burst against his head. His vision was filled by downy feathers before a second spell came from Hermione. _"Expelliarmus!"_

Harry dove and the spell burned past him, glancing off the ward line. The feathers suddenly whipped through the air, forming a strange curtain as Hermione yelled. _"Interpellaremus!"_

_"Flipendo!"_ Harry snapped and frowned as the curtain of feathers reformed a moment after his Knockback Jinx punched a hole in the obstruction. With a frown he rolled to the side trying to catch sight of Hermione. When he caught a glimpse he flicked his wand toward her once again. _"Expelliarmus!"_

_"Protego!"_ Hermione snapped, summoning a shield to protect her from the strike. At that moment the feather curtain fell and the conjured feathers began to dissolve in the air.

_"Flipendo! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"_ Harry shouted sending one spell toward Hermione after another and watched as her shield charm seemed to crumple under the barrage.

_"Fogo Frío!"_ Hermione shouted and Harry gaped as a jet of blue flames shot from her wand filling the space between them. Behind the ward line, her parents gasped.

"Blimey..." Harry muttered before summoning a shield charm of his own. "Hermione!"

"Sorry!" She stammered before lifting her wand. _"Obscuro!"_

Harry dove out of the unknown spell and lifted his wand again. _"Flipendo Maxima!"_

He felt his energy drain from the force of the spell and a huge bolt shot from his wand, smashing into Hermione's shield charm and blasting it apart. Hermione gasped as she was knocked back from the blast and toppled onto her back.

"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted as the flames between them died and he raced over to her as Remus did as well. He bent over her just as Hermione's eyes fluttered and she groaned.

"Harry?" She murmured on seeing him. "Did... did I win?"

Remus chuckled as Harry shut his eyes and pulled her into a hug.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Remus asked.

"No... I'm fine." Hermione said.

"REMUS TAKE THIS WARD DOWN!" Sirius shouted from behind the ward line as Remus hurriedly checked the two from injuries then waved his wand, canceling the ward.

Hermione groaned. "I thought I was going to beat him for once..." She grumbled before glancing up at Harry.

"I'm impressed." Remus said as he looked down at her. "An Obstruction Charm, Bluebell Flames, and the Obscuring Charm aren't ones I've taught you. That Obstruction Charm is really impressive, I remember Lily and James used it a lot during the war. It was one reliable way to stop the killing curse, blocking it with some object... Though I doubt the feathers would have worked."

"But I still lost..." Hermione grumbled.

Remus chuckled. "Harry brute forced it... He hit you with a maximized Knockback Jinx."

"Ooh..."

"Hermione Jean Granger!" Their Mum yelled as she stomped over the two of them and glared down at her. "You scared me half to death! I thought you were about to roast your brother alive!"

Hermione flinched. "Sorry... It wouldn't have really hurt him. I just wanted to scare him."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Bluebell Flames are a bit odd that way, they only burn what the conjurer desires. I'm surprised she's learned them already." Remus said. "Neither used anything really nasty."

"She just wanted to win." Harry said with a faint smile.

"Prat!" Hermione said before slapping him playfully.

Granddad grinned from where he stood. "You two are amazing... That school won't know what hit it this September."

"Thanks Granddad." The two said with a faint blush.

* * *

Kim Hunter scowled as she squinted at the fiberscope's display and tapped the television monitor in irritation. Behind her, two other members of her intelligence section watched other displays or listened in through headsets. With a frown, she picked up a large mug of hot tea and took a sip.

Spying was a surprisingly boring profession most of the time, or so she'd been told. In retrospect, Kim had decided that the man who'd recruited her was only half right. It was usually an immensely boring profession, until something happened.

A lot had been happening recently. It seemed that at least once a day the Provisional IRA launched some form of attack, and while most of them had been in Northern Ireland, a small number had occurred on English soil. There'd been bombings in London. As a result, she sat in the tiny London apartment above an old bookshop with her coworkers listening in on a number of suspicious individuals.

Or in this case, individual. The bookshop was owned by a man named Douglas O'Brien, which had been identified after a look through CCtv footage from two of the most recent bombings.

Kim rubbed her eyes and groaned as she watched the store owner set to work closing up the shop. Their section leader, a man named John Watkins, glanced at his watch and let out a long sigh. "Nearly eleven, I could really go for a curry right now."

"Watkins, you always could go for a curry." One of the newer agents said with a chuckle. "Are we sure this bookworm is behind this? He's so damn ordinary."

"Archie, don't even think about it... Home Office wants us watching him." Watkins said. "Kimberly, I'm going out to get some food... you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Kim answered before brushing some of her auburn hair out of her face and glancing over at him. "And... how many times do I have to tell you, my name is Kim? Not Kimberly, Kimmie, Kimball, or any other diminutive you've come up with in the last hower. If that's too much for you, I suggest you start calling me Hunter."

"Fine, agent Hunter." Watkins said before slipping out of his chair. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes." He stood and headed out the door, when it banged shut Archie leaned back in his seat and grinned.

"So, ten quid on him getting curry from down the street?"

"A tener on that? Waste of time." Kim said with a wave of her hand. "How about twenty quid that this—"

The door to the shop downstairs rattled as a man knocked on it. A moment later the bookshop owner scrambled for the lock of the door, his face scrunched up behind a set of gold rimmed glasses, and he fumbled for a moment before opening the door a crack.

A man clad in a long dark leather jacket peered through the door. "Mr. O'Brien, I believe you were expecting a delivery."

"Right... Gibbon, do you have it?" The bookshop owner asked as Kim focused on the screens and glanced between the displays trying to get a good look at the man behind the door.

"I do." The man sneered and stepped inside followed by another clad in much the same way except with a bulkier cloak that he seemed to be hiding something beneath. He swung a briefcase onto the counter by the register and smirked. "Five stone of... what was it Lorry?"

"Composition B..." The second man said as he glanced around the room.

"Right, that stuff... Payment in mu- pounds sterling, as usual." The first man said.

The bookshop owner nodded and pulled a duffel bag from beneath the counter and dropped it beside the briefcase. The two of them swapped bags. Then bookshop owner popped open the case and checked its contents while the new arrival unzipped the duffel.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Gibbon," The bookshop owner said as he shut the briefcase. "Same time next month?"

"No, I think not..." The sneering tone came in through the taps loud and clear. "I think this is going to be my last run for awhile."

The bookshop owner scoffed, "Why?"

"Smuggling your equipment hasn't been nearly as profitable as it used to be. Confounding customs needs to be worth my time." The man answered. "Either I start charging more, or I get out of this business. There are plenty of other things to smuggle."

"Archie, call Scotland Yard's dispatch." Kim growled as she leaned forward, her hands clasped over the headset. "We've got this bugger."

"Right." Archie said as he turned and grabbed a phone. "What about the Home Office?"

"Later..." Kim said. "I don't fancy this guy getting away, understand?"

"Well, I can talk to my superiors, maybe we can work out a new price for your services," O'Brien said.

"Do that." The man called Gibbon said, "But it better be a substantial increase... I was doing this for cheap laughs earlier."

"Right... I'm sure we can come to some sort of-"

A police siren echoed as two police cars slammed to a stop just outside the shop door. The bookshop owner turned white as officers scrambled from their rides while the two smugglers spun to face the door.

"They found us! You led them right to me!"

"Oh shut it, you muggle moron." Gibbon snapped before lifting something from the pocket of his jacket and flicking it toward the man. There was a flash of light on the black and white display and O'Brien crumpled to the ground, dead.

Kim stared stunned as there was another flash of light and the television screens before her filled with static, and she tore the headset off as the tap feed shrieked then died. A bang and a sound like wood crumpling from a battering ram filled the apartment. She turned to Archie. "What the hell?"

"I don't—"

The rattle of an assault rifle firing filled the air and she ran for the window just before a jet of purple light slammed into one of the police cars. Her ears rang before the car disappeared in a fiery blast and its siren died.

She stared in shock at the fiery remains of the car for a long moment before she turned to the rest of her surveillance team looking wide-eyed.

There was a thump at the door and the group of intelligence operatives jumped. Archie fumbled for his concealed sidearm. As Kim turned toward the door and reached for her L9A1 service pistol.

She heard a whisper of a word, barely audible through the door despite her ringing ears. _"Bomba—"_

The door suddenly exploded inward, as if blasted off its hinges. Kim dove to the ground as the crack of rifle rounds filled the air. Archie screamed as a bullet struck him in the back of the chest while another fell, as a round shot straight through the man's head.

Kim lifted the pistol toward the dark figure by the door and fired. A field of energy seemed to shimmer round the man as he swung the assault rifle in his hands toward her. She swore under her breath and fired twice more before the shield flickered and died. Her fifth shot struck the man in the chest and dropped him to the ground.

"Bloody idiotic squib." A voice growled before another man spun around the door and lifted a length of wood toward her. For a moment, Kim hesitated in confusion.

_"Expulso!"_ The man shouted and a blue white blast of light shot from the tip of the length of wood and exploded against her desk, sending a blast echoing through the apartment.

Her ears rang. _What the hell?_ Kim's mind shouted as she lined up her pistol once again. _What is that thing?_

_"Conf—"_

She pulled the trigger and the man's head exploded from a bullet impact before collapsing to the floor. Slowly she clambered to her feet and straightened up. In the distance, she heard another police siren.

Kim walked over to the man and bent down. She lifted the length of wood up and rolled it in her hand. She frowned, her mind replaying what she'd seen over and over again. Something didn't add up, how had the man been able to do those things with this bit of wood.

Suddenly her mind was drawn back to the screams of agony coming from Archie and she scrambled over to him. She winced as she saw that he'd been shot in the back of the chest. As she reached him, the screams fell silent and she slowly turned over the man to reveal a bloody exit wound. She felt for a pulse and slumped.

_Nothing._

_Bollocks._

"Damn it Archie…"

She glanced around the smoked filled room and saw the ruined equipment trying to add up what she'd just witnessed. It'd be one hell of a long report to write. She looked up as a pair of met police scrambled through the door, clad in their blue uniforms and bright yellow safety vests. The two of them stopped as they saw her.

"Don't move miss!"

Kim fumbled for her ID as she felt her hands begin to shake and lifted it toward the two of them. "Agent Kim Hunter, MI5."

"Security Service? Bloody hell." One of them said.

Slowly the two met police looked at each other before lowering their weapons and glancing around at the carnage. Kim pushed her pistol into the holster at her hip and blinked away a set of tears as she glanced at the carnage. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to pull herself together.

_Bollocks. Who the hell were they?_

* * *

It took three days for the library to be packed away and transported back home, by which point it was New Year's Eve. Remus and Sirius left just before midnight to attend a party at Grimmauld Place.

The next morning, three Grangers and one Potter piled into the car and headed back to Weston Farm. It was little suprise to anyone that knew them when the two kids spent the short trip engrossed in the books they'd been given. Harry wasn't a speed reader like Hermione, who had already probably processed several thousand pages in the time they'd been at the Granger Farm, but he wasn't slow.

He'd managed to finish _Jurassic Park _by the time they were leaving and was polishing off Arthur Conan Doyle's _The Lost World_ on the way home. Hermione was however engrossed with the Granger Grimiore once again, slowly flipping through the pages.

BBC Radio 2 came from the speakers as they drove until it was interrupted by the news bulletin. "Good morning, this is the ten o'clock morning news. Saddam Hussien issued a statement last night refusing to evacuate the nation of Kuwait, declaring the country forever Iraq's. The coalition has given Iraq until the 15th to withdraw their troops from Kuwait..."

"Investigations are ongoing on an IRA attack that happened in Central London two days ago which killed two MI5 agents and four police officers. The identity of the attackers remains unknown despite how they died in the attack. Scotland Yard has reported that they have been unable to positively identify the bodies... MI5 is conducting its own investigation as well."

Dan Granger sighed as rain fell from the sky, pelting the ground as he drove through the countryside. After another twenty minutes, he pulled up to the garage beside the house and turned off the engine. A chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed that Hermione, Harry, and his wife hadn't noticed their arrival. Then he cleared his throat. "We're here."

* * *

Kim Hunter sighed as she sat in the interrogation room, for once sitting in the opposite side of the seat. In her thirty-four years, she'd never encountered something so... unexplainable. Her mind replayed the sight of the man throwing that first blast of energy into the room, the shimmer of the shield around his cohort. After a few minutes, she let out a sigh.

Watkins had been grilled over and over, but he hadn't been in the room. Somehow the tapes from the fiberscopes and listening devices had been damaged and only partial bits of the records could be recovered. It seemed that somehow the last five minutes of recordings had gone the same way as the missing episodes of Doctor Who.

Kim turned out to be the only witness to the event, and found herself repeating over and over the story of the attack. First to Watkins, then to others as the investigation widened.

Archie and Connor's death in the fight had rattled the agency, and Kim found herself trying to go over the events time and again in her mind. Nothing seemed to explain what she'd seen. She almost wondered if it had something to do with the Red Mercury that MI6 had been trying to intercept from the Soviet Union.

So she sat in the interrogation room and waited for the next debrief.

The door to the room opened and a man stepped inside, a faint smile played across his face. "Agent Hunter..." He said before sitting down and setting a briefcase on the top of the metal table. He popped it open. "My name is Agent Tom Harding." He pulled a folder from the briefcase and flipped it open, chewing his lip for a moment. "I see that you've been with MI5 for the last ten years, a pretty good record from the look of things."

Hunter nodded. "It's been... interesting."

"I think you have just stumbled upon something a bit more... interesting then what you've dealt with earlier in your career." Harding said as he pulled out a second folder. Slowly he slid it across to her and smiled. "I represent a special... team within the Service. We watch for persons like the one that you dealt with two days ago."

_Persons? Did that mean it was something about the man that had allowed him to create those blasts with just a bit of wood? _Kim shivered and chewed her lip. "So… you know what he was?"

"We have our theories…" He said before running a hand along one photograph. "There had been a number of incidents like the one you were involved in before you joined the service. They suddenly stopped in 1981 for some reason. To put it simply, persons like the one you encountered appeared at various places and wielded some unknown power. Dozens died that we know of... many without a single mark on their body." He frowned. "A few of our team lost their memories while investigating some incidents, which makes me think that someone was trying to cover them up."

Kim blinked as she stared at one of the photos that had slid from the folder showing a masked and robed man lifting another bit of wood. She took a deep breath. "Why are you telling me this?"

Agent Harding smiled as he leaned against the table. "I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

She blinked, and then glanced back down at the folder. Then she looked back into the man's eyes. "Where do I sign up?"

* * *

_Bernard Gibbon reported Dead_

_by Sibyl Dagda_

_Gringotts reported early this morning that they can confirm that Bernard Gibbon, youngest son of the John and Lyla Gibbon is dead of unknown causes. Gibbon was reported missing last week after he missed his wife's twelve anniversary. Attempts to determine the location of the body by the Ministry of Magic have failed leading many to believe that the man known throughout the magical artifact trade died on one of his many purchasing trips to Norway._

_Gideon Gibbon, the eldest son, reported that he had no knowledge of such a trip, but could not rule out the possibility. Also missing is Mr. Lorry O'Neilly, a squib who worked for Mr. Gibbon as helmsman on his ship, the North Sea Venture. The North Sea has been relatively calm for the last two weeks, but there have been a number of similar disappearances over the years in the same area. Many sailors of the North Sea have reported Kracken attacks along the route Mr. Gibbon supposedly frequented, leading this reporter to believe that Gibbon was likely the unfortunate victim of such a fate._

Lucius Malfoy snapped shut his paper and frowned. "It seems Gideon has lost another brother, and this time to a mere monster of the North Sea." He folded the paper over his arm and sighed. "I suppose I should send the man some condolences."

He picked up a tumbler of brandy and took a sip. If he knew of Gibbon's true fate, he wouldn't have bothered. It served the man right if he could be beaten by a mere muggle.


	14. Events in Motion

_Author's Note: This chapter is… well, more of a catching up and advancing the plot chapter. We get a bit more about MI-5's understanding of the magical world (as limited as it is). Writing Agent Hunter's scenes, I felt a bit like writing a British version of the X-files, which I suppose is appropriate considering what MI-5 does… counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and domestic surveillance and observation are their main job, a job which the FBI handles in the US (plus many others)._

_As some of you might have picked up, this story suggests that Dungeons and Dragons was made up by a curse-breaker that lost his magic, this has repercussions… as a number of creatures that were not detailed in the Potter universe before (but exist in DnD) will pop up, or at least a variant of them. As the source is an absolute treasure trove. Names may change to fit existing Harry Potter naming conventions, but expect the magical world to have things even hidden from even themselves. In universe, well… there are explanations._

_As an example, Horcruxes were known to Gary Gygax, being a curse-breaker and all… He even included a wizard who had used them in his game… But he changed the name._

_Lich = Body of a Resurrected Dark Wizard with a Horcrux  
Phylactery = A Horcrux_

_Dragons are vastly different in ability, intelligence, and portrayal between the two sources. The Dragons of Harry Potter basically act like animals, they do not talk… they do not hoard gold, and so forth. Their abilities, size, and behavior is more consistent with what are known as a Drakes or Wyverns._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 14:** Events in Motion

* * *

Hermione and Harry slept soundly in their own beds for the first time in two weeks, well aware that in a few days their schooling would commence once more.

The next morning they went about their chores, charged their runes and hex signs, read their books, and carried on as children do. The two put their heads together and Hermione helped Harry copy a number of spells from her Grimiore to his own. Soon after, the two of them then went through the collected books while their father assembled another set of bookshelves for their rooms and the workshop behind the garage.

Amongst the various runic arrays in Hermione's Grimiore was one that caught Harry's eye.

_Adducas ad Nostrum Tempus - Experimental Runic Ritual for Temporal Summoning_

"Temporal summoning?" He leaned over the notes as Hermione was about to turn the page. "Hermione..."

"Harry?" She said with an arch of her eyebrows.

"What does this do?"

Hermione squinted at the text for a long moment before shaking her head. "Well, it's supposed to be able to summon things from the past, in case you lost something and only could remember where it was at some time before, but it says in the notes that she couldn't get it to work properly, whenever she tried to use it there was a magical backlash that returned the object to its time."

"Oh..." Harry said with a frown. "I was wondering if I could use it to summon a dinosaur."

"A... HARRY!" Hermione slapped him before bursting into laughter. "You've been reading too many dinosaur books!"

"No such thing." Harry muttered before grinning at her.

The two burst into laughter at that before slowly regaining control of themselves and giggling at each other. After all, in the Granger House there was no such thing as to many books, of any kind.

* * *

Agent Kim Hunter sat behind her new desk, her gaze flicking across the report that she'd been handed just a few days before. It detailed the autopsy of one Douglas O'Brien. Her brow furrowed as she scanned the document a second time, then a third.

A number of unusual inconsistencies remain with the subject's remains. Upon arrival, approximately fifty minutes after death, the body's temperature was 7 degrees Celsius, roughly equal with the local environment. Detailed examinations of the musculature, nervous systems, and organ do not reveal any immediate cause of death. There are no internal injuries, defensive wounds, or marks on the remains. Therefore, I cannot determine a cause of death at this time.

Kim sighed as she ran her hands through her hair and glanced down at the other files that were scattered across her new desk. She'd been assigned to the fifth branch, a section of the Security Service that officially didn't exist, a branch that remained a secret even to the rest of MI-5. To those few that heard of its existence, it was known as Occult and Paranormal Surveillance.

"Bollocks." She muttered before shutting the folder and letting out a long sigh. A moment later, a mug of hot tea was sat down on her desk and she glanced up to see Agent Harding setting down across from, holding a large selection of papers in his hand.

"Having trouble?"

"The coroner's report doesn't give us anything..." Hunter muttered before closing her eyes. "I would have thought they'd have found something."

"I understand... I guess you haven't gotten a good look at the archives room yet?" Tom said.

"Archives..."

Tom nodded as he gestured to a backroom. "Yeah, we've got files that go back all the way to the 1930s in there, some of the stuff from the blitz make interesting reading." He settled back in his seat and smiled. "Now... there was a rash of incidents akin to what you saw in the 1970s, along with other things, reports of missing time, odd lights in the sky, and so forth."

"Missing time?" Kim asked. "Honestly... it sounds like something you'd read about in the Daily Mail."

Harding chuckled. "It certainly does, but then... there are things like this in the archives." He pulled out a folder and flipped it open. "This was from a recon Spitfire's camera back in the War."

Frowning slightly, Hunter flipped open the folder and stopped. At first, she thought there wasn't anything particularly odd about the image. In the foreground, a German BF-109 fighter was smoldering from a burst of machine gun fire. It wasn't until her gaze moved off the plane that she saw something that her mind loudly proclaimed to be impossible.

In the background, there was a black shape, roughly the size of a large plane, with two wings spread out along a serpentine body, complete with fore-claws and long legs that were stretched out along its body. After a long moment, she arched an eyebrow at Tom. "Is that?"

"Don't know, but it certainly looks like it, doesn't it?" Tom said with a grin. "Of course, my first thought when I saw them was that it was a fake... something that distant and all that bollocks."

Kim nodded before flipping to the next photo and her eyes went wide. She could see the lines of tracers from the Spitfire's guns heading toward a clearly visible black, or at the very least dark color, dragon. After a second, she flipped to the next photo, which showed even more detail, and a blast of flames shooting toward the plane from the creature's head, which Kim thought, looked more like a dinosaur or some other creature.

"Pilot claimed that a 'great ruddy black lizard' tried to kill him and he shot it down, of course... everyone hushed it up and well... they hired him for this job." Tom grinned. "Not much different from what drew our attention to you."

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Hunter asked.

Tom chuckled. "Everyone asks that, and you know what how we answer most of the time? No bloody clue." He pulled the photos from her grasp. "Though we do have some idea, we know that persons much like the one that attacked you have been spotted at King's Cross Station six times a year, along with crowds of other... unusual persons. The weekend following the New Year, the Friday before Easter and usually the Monday after, a week in late June, and September 1st. Dozens usually show up, and we've taken to watching them trying to learn something, but so far as we can tell they never get on a train and only a handful of those that arrive depart... Even the local conductors and staff notice them. CCtv is scheduled to be installed there sometime in the next few years, so maybe then we'll figure some things out."

"Who are these people?" Kim asked.

Tom pulled a long length of wood in a plastic bag and Kim gasped as she recognized it as the instrument that had been wielded against her. He slowly sat it on the desk.

"The wood seems to be from an Aspen tree. Inside we found a small bit of muscle tendon which we haven't been able to identify, and a layer of ground quartz crystal." Tom said. "Now... let's be simple minded folks for a moment and put it this way. If you hear a story of someone waving a rod of wood about and making things happen, what is he?"

Kim's eyes slowly widened and then she shook her head. "No... That's not possible."

Tom chuckled, "Well, I think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have had something to say on that. 'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' So..."

"Bloody hell... That was?" She took a deep breath. "That was a wizard?"

He nodded, "That is the assumption we're working with Agent Hunter, God only knows how they've hidden themselves from our notice until now... and with images of dragons, wizards, and other things we've long called myth in the archives, well... let's just say I think it's just the tip of the iceberg."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat back in the seat of the Goblin Liaison Office, at the long table, which had come to be reserved for this unique purpose. The meeting of a group that focused on managing the wizarding world's economy in the wake of the galleon exchange bill.

Albus's hands folded over his beard as Bogrod gave his report. The repercussions of the change to the exchange rate had been immense, and continuing to roll across the wizarding world's economy.

Shortly after the change in valuation, Gringotts announced that the bank would begin making formal quarterly reports on the wizarding world's economy. These reports were combined with significant recommendations from Bogrod and other members of the Gringotts bank, which formed the foundation for an entire swath of legislation that had been proposed.

Many ideas had been shot down by the conservation component of the Wizengamot, including a proposal to turn the Gold Galleon, Silver Sickle, and Bronze Knut into token values (changing the basic coins to zinc and using gilding to cover them with the appropriate metal) and then allowing the currency's value to float dependent on the market. Talk of decimalization had also floundered.

As a result, the wizarding world's economy remained firmly entrenched in the 19th century (an age when all national currencies were backed by gold or silver) while the muggles were preparing to enter the 21st.

The changes that had already taken place created two rather distinct and divergent effects. With the drop in the exchange rate, the price in the wizarding world for mundane goods, land, and groceries had plummeted. The same wasn't true for the market for magical goods and materials. With the sudden glut of disposable income, more wizarding households then ever were buying enchanted goods, be they broomsticks, multi-compartment trunks, or other items. This surge in demand had resulted in a surge in the price for the items.

As a result, magical merchants were rolling in the galleons, of which a sizeable portion passed up the line to their investors. Dumbledore's own holdings had bloated from the sudden influx of returns on a few meager investments he had collaborated with his brother. A number of successful shop owners were also buying out their investors or purchasing storefront space instead of continuing their rental agreements.

The sudden wealth was spread in a rather strange fashion, as many of the oldest and darkest families were left behind, as the value of their property holdings plunged and they held few investments outside of those properties. A number of the oldest 'light' families were benefitting far more in the new economy than their darker cousins, as most of their investments tended to be more likely to be in business ventures instead of simple property.

However, the two groups that were the most left behind by the boom was the population of witches and wizards that lived and worked in the muggle world and the muggleborn. Many of the benefits to working outside the wizarding world dried up, and while many of those witches and wizards maintained a good standard of living, they found that the price for more magical comforts quickly rising out of their reach.

Sirius Black had already moved to remedy the situation for the newest muggleborn, as one of the main benefits of the old galleon exchange had been that it all but insured muggleborns could afford the best start to their education. His new Lily Potter Foundation was invested with five million galleons from the Black family's holdings. With Gringott's current rate of a 13.875% yearly interest rate, Dumbledore estimated that the fund's interest alone could finance the needs for over five hundred students a year, which was far in excess of the amount that he thought would ever call upon the fund for aid.

"I expect that this quarter, we shall finally begin to see movement in the labor markets as businesses have begun offering lower wages to new hires, sometimes substantially." Bogrod said. "Fortunately, the Ministry's position as a government means that we likely will not see the price of labor drop too precipitously, as it's very difficult to tell a government worker to accept a pay cut."

Light chuckles filled the room as the group which Dumbledore had come to think of as the 'Wizarding Economic Council' listened to the last of the report from Bogrod. Albus glanced at the odd group in the room. There was Lucius Malfoy sitting in the back of the room, flipping through the economic report before him. Beside him was the only other halfway intelligent businessman in the most conservative faction of the Wizengamot, Mr. Nott. The man had no scruples, and was nearly twice Lucius's age. He sat flipping through the document, scowling as he scribbled notes to himself.

Nott wasn't quite as wealthy as Malfoy, but his investments were often in areas that skirted the law, more so then the old property holder anyway. Among his greatest investments was in apothecaries and the magical creature trade. A number of foreign holdings included companies devoted to the acquisition of rare potions ingredients. In addition to a security company, that was Gringott's only real competition in the area of security services.

The man had an affinity with the Dark Arts, and Albus worried about the state in which his son would arrive at Hogwarts this coming year.

Among the light-sided members gathered around the meeting table were Sirius Black, Augusta Longbottom, and himself. The Black family had once been the primary investors in Knockturn Alley, the seediest element of the Diagon Alley marketplace. When Sirius took up the position as heir to the Black Family, he jettisoned those investments replacing them with investments in the more conventional part of the wizarding economy. As a result, the boom was quickly replenishing his family vault with the wealth he had set aside for muggleborns. Sirius took quite a bit of pride in 'dirtying' his family's money with investments that supported muggleborn and half-blood wizards.

Augusta Longbottom was as old fashioned as her appearance, and wielded both her position on the wizengamot and the economy to protect the interests of the older 'light' families. That this at times caused disenfranchisement for muggleborns was, in her view, merely an unfortunate side effect.

The Longbottom family was one that had built up their wealth, not as estate agents or investors but in magical construction companies. Most of Diagon Alley, aside for Gringotts, was built by the family, and their motto, 'had work conquers all' made them a group, which had traditionally sorted into the Hufflepuff family before Augusta's generation.

Now, the Longbottoms functioned much in the same fashion as the Malfoys, basing their worth on property and estates. While they were diametrically opposed to each other politically, and the Longbottoms were not as wealthy as the Malfoy's, they did inhabit the same social circles as being part of the upper crust of the English magical community.

Then there were the neutral families, and in Albus's view, there was an exemplary example of neutrality then the Greengrass family. Old, pureblood, and rather traditional, the family had a sworn devotion to pragmatism that had helped it ride out the rough times. Mrs. Greengrass was a masterful estate agent, capable of selling anything to anyone with a dose of her considerable charm. Mr. Greengrass was more the general businessman, a master of arithmancy, and surprisingly adept at moving through the muggle world. They had taken the sum of their two family's wealth and invested it in real estate, effectively becoming the realtors for the pureblood community and the vast majority of the wizarding world.

Conventional wisdom would hold that the change to the galleon exchange would have hurt their business, but the pair had turned around the situation by selling larger houses to those that could afford it, and inflating their own profit margins so that their effective commission on each home was as large or even larger then before the exchange. The drop in prices was countered by large-scale land grabs by old families that continued to link wealth with property.

Sirius cleared his throat, "Bogrod, I understand that the price for a number of items has surged over the last month... Wands apparently broke ten galleons yesterday. What would you suggest to keep the price from... running out of control?"

"Why bother, ten galleons seems awfully cheap for what a wand enables us to do." Malfoy said as he leaned over the table. "The price for all magical items is surging, compared to the increase on say... magic mirrors or 'Madame Middletum's self-cleaning kitchen wares' the three galleon increase for a wand is of little concern comparatively."

"Mr. Malfoy is correct, as wands are usually a once in a lifetime purchase they haven't had the same surge in demand that other items have, the increase in cost is more due to the increase in demand for the magical materials used in wands and other magical items." Bogrod said. "Overall, the muggle economy and the galleon valuation form a... floor to prices and greatly reduce the cost of living. This has increased disposable income by a large margin. The simplest means to keep the price from surging upward until it reaches a new point of equilibrium would be to reduce the amount of money in circulation."

"How?" Sirius said.

"Taxes, higher interest rates for loans, and so forth would do it." Mr. Greengrass said. "The muggle government often uses either changes to the central bank's interest rate or changes to the income tax rate. A value added tax would also greatly slow the economy, but wouldn't reduce prices."

"Taxes," Sirius groaned, "Curse me now..."

"Are you certain this is necessary? This is a boom. I do not believe we should foolishly attempt to slow it," Malfoy said.

Albus watched Sirius flinch before glancing between him and Malfoy. "Call me barmy, but I actually agree with Malfoy."

"There is a danger that this... idyllic situation will not last, it will increase the gulf between the wealthiest members of our community and the poorest, if Mr. Bogrod's analysis is correct." Albus said as he flipped back through the economic report. "I believe he is afraid of something akin to a runaway broom affect if we do not check the surging prices."

"So we increase taxes... What should we spend it on?" Sirius said. "Hogwarts tuition is already funded by the Ministry. The last budget I saw recommended cuts to the DMLE..."

"The war is over, has been for ten years." Malfoy stated firmly. "We do not need forty aurors, when there haven't been forty murders in the last five years, let alone ten."

"There is always a danger that a new dark wizard will rise." Albus said calmly. "We thought it was over after Grindelwald was beaten, and then twenty-five years later we were plunged into a war with Voldemort."

There were shudders around the room and only Sirius seemed unfazed by Dumbledore's use of the name. Sirius however was pursing his lips. "Well... does anyone have any idea on how to spend the money we'd gain from a rise in taxes? We're the Ministry. We're not allowed to have a profit."

Bogrod grinned and there were chuckles from others in the room at that statement.

"Well Black, what do you suggest? Adding a slide to the Ministry Atrium?" Malfoy sneered.

"Please, I'd donate money for that... for taxes it shouldn't be something just for the kid at heart." Sirius said with mock gravity. "What about increased spending on Education? Hogwarts could always use some galleons for improvements."

"I'll set to work drawing up designs for a Sirius Black water park..." Mrs. Greengrass said with a mocking smile. "Hopefully the giant squid will be amiable."

"Will there be a slide?" Sirius asked with an equally devious grin before taking a deep breath. "No... In all seriousness..." There were groans from around the table at the pun. "I think there are other improvements worth considering, like replacing those fifty year old school brooms?"

"That would be nice..." Albus said as his eyes twinkled. "Severus has asked for the addition of ventilation charms for his classroom. I'm certain any of the specialty clubs could use the capital."

"So it's settled then... we'll send the revenue to Hogwarts." Sirius said with a grin. "And it better not go to your salary Malfoy, we governors are paid more than enough."

Lucius Malfoy rolled his eyes before focusing back on the documents, trying to find a way to twist any proposal to his benefit.

Nott stirred. "This income tax, will it be applied to income by estate, investment, and returns?" He asked coolly.

"That would be the fairest approach." Sirius said though glancing around the room found him frowning. "Honestly, you're not considering just taxing wages are you?"

Fudge shifted in his seat. "Mr. Black, the position of many of the old families is based upon their investments. I do not think we should endanger that position with unnecessary increases to the tax burden. Generous donations, like what you and Mr. Malfoy have provided greatly reduced the cost of operating St. Mungos, for example."

"So we'll just tax those that work for their money?" Sirius growled. "Malfoy and I can afford taxes on our investments."

Albus sighed and leaned forward, shaking his head. "I understand Sirius, but look around you… Do you expect the lot of the wizengamot to vote for a bill that will pull money from their pocket?"

Sirius scowled. "No… I suppose that would be too much to ask the wizen members of our society."

* * *

At the Grangers, time, which seemed to have slowed over the holidays, sped up to the point that the two felt as if the days were flying by. They did their muggle homework every night before busting out their spell books and other tomes. They studied their contents intently, but this wasn't the only activity that filled the evenings.

After letting it go for months, Dan and Jean Granger decided to bring back music lessons for their two children, and while they managed to evade having an instructor, both Hermione and Harry spent hours practicing on the small piano in the foyer or playing one of the other instruments they'd been taught over the years.

The world went on, and while Harry and Hermione practiced, researched, and read Dan sat back in his chair and listened as a coalition of nations assembled to force Saddam Hussein from the small country of Kuwait.

As January slowly turned to February, there were other events to draw the adult's attention. On February 7th, the Provisional IRA fired three motor rounds into 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister.

Harry and Hermione took no real notice to those events, as they were ten and eleven years old. Their focus remained their studies and their magic. The Harry's Grimiore was slowly filling with spells that Hermione shared with him. Most were relatively simple spells of a sort that would seem 'useful' to a ten year old. Minor hexes like _Titillando_, the tickling hex, and _Caudam Crescere_, the tail-growth hex, quickly found their way into the book. While others that seemed perfect for dealing with his bookish sister went into his grimiore as well. There were spells like _Librilues_, the book's bane, which caused the target to be incapable of holding a book for an hour.

Suffice to say, Hermione was not amused when he tried it out on her, and he found himself going through the rest of the day with his hair standing on end from when she hexed him back.

Their studies in other areas of magic were also pushing the limits. Their proficiency with runes and alchemy was rapidly growing, and both Harry and Hermione found the study of arithmancy to be relatively easy thanks to their muggle education in maths. Already, Remus was well ahead of where he expected the two to be. He was hesitant to further tutoring them in Charms and Transfiguration, as he held great respect for the two professors that held that field at Hogwarts. Instead, he taught them more and more theory of magic, defense against the dark arts, potions, and the history of magic.

At the same time, Hermione decided that since the vast majority of the incantations they used seemed to be of Latin origin, that learning the language would be a boon to the two of them. As a result, the pair had taken to studying the language for an hour a night just before bed.

Each of the two seemed to have natural affinity for some subjects more than others, and Remus encouraged them to specialize in their fields of expertise. Hermione was better at the more theoretical forms of magic: arithmancy, runes, and magical theory. Harry proved to be better at the more practical applications of magic like: defense against the dark arts, potions, and alchemy.

Each of them had a vibrant imagination fueled with muggle literature that seemed to give them a far different and more innovative approach to magic in all its forms, and to encourage such innovation, Remus made certain to set aside a few hours for the two to simple experiment under his guidance.

The one area the two seemed to experiment the most with was runes and hex signs. The focus on hex signs had led the pair to learn sewing and embroidery, as they were key to creating the signs. Harry felt that the term banner or tapestry was a better description of most of the examples.

At times, even Remus was amazed at the creativity the two young minds displayed. Some things were hilariously simple, but functional, like the bathrobe embroider with a runic array for drying the body. Others were a bit more ominous, like the simple hex sign that Harry had sewn into a jacket that compelled anyone wielding a wand against him to miss. The subtle enchantment was such that Remus hadn't noticed it until Harry had dueled his sister with the jacket on, and stood stock still, letting Hermione's returning hexes fly by harmlessly.

Naturally, Hermione countered the following week with a cap that embroidered with runic protection against compulsions.

The tit-for-tat sibling rivalry, which had developed, seemed to spur them further and further. Remus knew that most of the things they developed would be little help against fully trained wizards, but sometimes even the simplest of magic was the most effective.

This was no more evident than in the field of runes, as both of the siblings tried various runic arrays. It was little surprise to Remus when he found the two scratching arrays into bits of granite and charging them in the backyard to various results. Runic arrays were the foundation for warding, and while the two hadn't progressed much beyond alarm wards they clearly were eager to learn it all, if for no other reason than to ensure the other couldn't get in their room.

As February slowly came to a close, Remus found himself supervising the pair as they worked on an oil, a form of potion meant to be rubbed into an object instead of ingested, thus allowing it to be used to treat and augment objects instead of just creatures.

"Watch it!" Hermione yelled as the cauldron boiled over, spilling the violent green potion onto the table as Harry leaned back with a jolt and toppled off his stool onto the concrete floor.

Remus extinguished the burner with a flick of his wand as the rough wood table seemed to flash from where the potion landed and it's rather worn and unfinished oak surface suddenly gleamed and turned a deep red as if it'd been heavily varnished. Sparks shot from cauldron for a moment before a puff of grass green smoke rose up from its surface.

"You okay." Remus said as he reached down and pulled Harry from the floor. "Anything hurt?"

"Just my ar— err... bum." Harry flushed as Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"I think that's enough practicing potions for today. Let's move on to runes..." Remus said with a shake of his head, "Before you break something that's harder to replace."

"Right Moony," Harry said with a grin.

As the group put away their potions supplies, the radio atop the shelf crackled to life.

"This is the four o'clock news. Combined Coalition forces are reportedly moving to jump-off positions and word on the ground indicates that Coalition operations to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait are quote 'imminent'."

* * *

Quirrell pushed through the undergrowth, his wand clasped in his hand, lighting up the area before him like a torch. The distant howl of a wolf made him flinch as he spun round, searching for the source of the sound. The thick woods made his light reach out only a few hundred feet.

"Learn your subject, they said... go abroad for some practice, they said..." Quirrell mumbled as he came to a stop. "Perhaps this was a bad idea."

Quirinus Quirrell had spent years working as a Professor of Muggle Studies. He was a Ravenclaw, though it had suggested years earlier that the house of Serpents might have been a fit for him. Like many of the house, Quirrell felt that knowledge was an end in of itself. Like many from the house, he saw little difference between light and dark magic.

In order to prepare for the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor of Hogwarts, Quirrell had studied extensively and searched for a means of testing himself. Like many, he went into the wolf's lair, searching for a way to prove his skill. The Dark Woods of Albania had long been a place rank with dark magic and darker intentions.

He had searched for a challenge, suitable for his intellect and heard talk of a place deep within the woods where local life was twisted, where animals died without explanation. That brought him here.

"Perhaps this was not the best idea..." Quirrell said to himself as a viper hissed from behind a rock and then slowly slithered out into view. Quirrel froze as he saw the serpent, it's scales flaking from its hide, and two eyes glowing a bloody red. After a moment, it gave a spasm and the light in its eyes died.

A column of black smoke rose from corpse and hung over it before twisting into the form of a man, twin red eyes gleaming from his head.

Quirrell stumbled back in fright, his wand up and pointed toward the figure.

"Who are you?" A voice hissed in the dim light.

"Quirinus Quirrell." He stammered.

"My name is Lord Voldemort." The wraith spoke. "And I see that you want to prove yourself for your post Quirrell."

"STUPEFY!" Quirrel shouted and the red light passed harmlessly through the wraith that was Voldemort. The form laughed a cold high laugh which seemed to echo in the dank woods.

"You cannot defeat me..." Voldemort chuckled as his cloud like form closed on the quivering man. "I can show you things, powers beyond your imagining."

As he spoke a dark form stepped from the shadow of a tree behind Quirrell and clasped the shaking and pale wizard in a strong grasp. Slowly Quirrell turned to look over his shoulder and found himself staring into a pair of glowing red eyes sunk into a black face with a long beard's that's hair moved on its own like a set of tentacles. In its other hand was a black saw-toothed glaive made of obsidian stone.

_Barbazu? That's impossible..._ Quirrell thought, his eyes wide with terror. A terrible legend, considered a myth that had not been seen since the dark ages, a creature that only a man who had studied such legends would recognize.

"Repeat after me... There is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to seek it." The wraith spoke coldly in Quirrell's ear. "Are you too weak?"

A compulsion filled his mind at that moment and Quirrell choked for a long moment before he said, "No... Master."


	15. Other Muggle-raised Half-Bloods

_Author's Note: Unlike many of the stories I've read where a more powerful Potter faces a Voldemort that's essentially identical to the canon version, I figure that if I'm going to be giving Harry a leg up… his opponent needs an upgrade as well. Especially when you consider I'm arraying much more things against him this time._

_So Voldemort is stronger and in some ways 'darker' then the version from the canon. No longer does he simply hurl unforgiveables about as if they are the only spells worth using. He's going to be subtler, more cunning, and capable of doing some terrible things that really are fitting one known as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. Sure, we've seen some of the traditional minions of a dark wizard (Dementors, Inferi, and Werewolves) in the canon, but… Inferi are just the tip of the iceberg. Enter the 'second' darkest art, the one that served as an impetus for the muggle witch-hunts._

_Grimiore's have already appeared, but in this chapter, I'll be detailing a number of 'known' examples in the muggle world. These are the Key of Solomon (Also known as the Mafteah Shelomoh or __Clavicula Salomonis)__, the Grand Grimiore (also known as the Red Dragon), and Lesser Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis Regis or Lemegeton)._

_All of these books deal with magic that has been outlawed in the wizarding world. Translations often pop up in such places as Haiti with its native Voodoo traditions. The Grand Grimiore contains instructions on summoning devils and contracting with them. The Key of Solomon and Lesser Key of Solomon detail how to force demons to service (as in the story of King Solomon in the bible: who forced demons to his service and in the context of this story was likely a very powerful wizard)._

_There are other examples of grimiores that are known in the muggle world… The purported purpose of these books ranges from making talismans (like the Black Pullet), to seals and pentacles (King Solomon's Seals), to the calling of angels, archons, and other good spirits (The Sword of Moses)._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 15:** Other Muggle-raised Half-Bloods

* * *

The shadow of a being, which was what remained of the once terrible Dark Lord, led his new follower through the woods, seizing control of one of the snakes that chanced upon their path. Through the serpents' eyes, he watched the clearly terrified and subservient weakling that was Quirrell stumble through the woods, with his ally's glaive pointed to his back.

Voldemort was not a fool. He had delved into the darkest arts searching for keys to greater power and immortality. He had found them, a method that ensured that his being was rooted to this world even when his body was destroyed. The Horcrux, a dark object imbued with a shattered fragment of its creator's soul, anchoring them to the material world.

Herpo the Foul had created the first Horcrux, and delved deeply into the very nature of the soul, studying it in detail with the time the Horcrux had given him along with the Darkest of Arts. The man had created monsters, and turned his home City-State, Sparta, into a warring nation that cut a swath through their neighbors. He had advised generations of Spartan Kings until, a Spartan boy wizard had cut him down as part of a ritual murder turning the boy into a soldier of Sparta. He had taken Herpo's red gem necklace as proof of his achievement, and the Horcux anchored the man to life for the next hundred years until he had tired of that existance and was remorseful for his actions. As his soul healed and the Horcux shattered, Herpo the Foul passed into legend.

Others had attempted to follow in Herpo's footsteps. There was Grimhild, who had turned her own daughter into a Horcrux, until the sorceress was defeated by a warrior mage, which activated a curse cast by Grimhild's granddaughter. Then there was Koschei the Deathless, a mage who had fallen to a Russian knight after his Horcux had been destroyed. Voldemort was certain that many others had gone through the ritualistic creation of a Horcrux and fallen, all thanks to one simple error in their planning.

They had stopped at one.

Voldemort had set to work creating six Horcruxes, until the sacrifice for the last had fought back... His Killing Curse had rebounded and struck him.

What happened then was something that even Voldemort had trouble understanding at the time. He knew the Killing Curse, and understood it quite well. It was the most ancient of the unforgiveables, dating back to Kabbalah Ma'asit and an age where many of the greatest mages of the land were followers of Judaism. Its incantation was Aramaic, meaning 'let this be destroyed', and was powered by the soul energy of the caster.

It utterly destroyed any object lacking a soul-energy when struck, causing marble to explode and even stone to shatter into dust. As it was a form of soul-magic, it bypassed arcane shields as if nothing was present, leaving dodging the curse as the only viable defense. It worked by forcibly severing the soul from its mortal coil. Immediately the body's temperature plummeted to an icy cold, and all functions ceased without a single mark to the body. There had been no known counter.

But, there was a counter apparently, and as Voldemort had sat alone for the last nine years he had puzzled together a viable theory to the counter. Voldemort thought back to the fierce redhead standing between him and the kid, begging to kill her in his place. He had offered to allow her to stand aside, and taken her life when she refused.

He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but Voldemort knew that the woman's sacrifice had protected him. Perhaps it was a result of how he offered to let her stand aside, but the woman's very magic seemed to have lingered round the boy like a shield of soul energy that had rebound the curse back upon him.

The curse encountered a body and forced him from it, and apparently attempted to force his passage into the great beyond. His Horcruxes had held him fast, and the magical backlash had utterly destroyed his old body leaving him little more than a particularly angry disembodied spirit.

As a wraith, there was little Voldemort could actually do, as he had been reduced to little more but the meanest of spirits. All that remained was to bide his time until he could restore himself to a body.

The Dark Lord knew many ways to do so... As the creation of a body was not something very far out of the ordinary in the wizarding world. Alchemists had long ago perfected the technique of creating a homunculus, an animate soulless servant. Unfortunately, the result was little more than infant. It would require growth and feeding. Voldemort had no desire to go through puberty again, or to spend twenty years awaiting his body to adjust to his magic, but the technique could easily be used to construct a more viable body for him, one that could then be brought to full strength or size through ritual.

There were other options, he could construct a Golem instead... but such a creation had a different set of problems, among them being that Voldemort was unsure it could truly accommodate his magic and act as a conduit for it as a body of flesh and blood could.

To rapidly restore him to full strength required either a ritual or something far rarer, the Elixir of Life. That required either stealing the brew from its creator or obtaining the key for its manufacture.

The group came to a stop before the ruined remains of a castle keep and Voldemort slithered down the steps to the intact dungeon beneath which had become his home. Inside was one of his treasures.

Not a Horcrux, though Voldemort wondered at times if he had left their defenses strong enough when he considered the three large tomes that sat atop the single table in the room. He had stumbled across their existence in one of the most unlikely to places: the British Museum, in London.

Voldemort was not a fool, as he knew the power that muggles held first hand, as he could see the waste laid to the London outside the Orphanage's windows he'd grown up in. The Blitz had struck just after he had finished his third year at Hogwarts, and he had watched the bomber streams at night rain down death and destruction on a scale that was nearly unimaginable.

He knew that the magical world's only chance at controlling the muggles lay in controlling the muggle's leadership. He had read accounts of Grindelwald's War, and how the Dark Wizard had used Adolf Hitler as a proxy in the muggle world. Only the combined muggle and magical forces of the Allies had ultimately defeated him, and Albus Dumbledore himself.

The only chance of success lay in taking charge of the magical world before turning on the muggles. Muggle politicians could be imperiused, military commanders confunded, and the citizenry obliviated. No one would have to know that magicals had taken control.

So, the Heir of Slytherin kept abreast of developments in the muggle world. At least until he had lost his body.

Among those occasional trips he had stumbled across the first of his prized books, radiating a malevolent power as he walked past. That night, he slipped in during the dead of night and plucked the bloody red book from the display case.

A magical grimiore of dark power had made its way into a collection of books detailing the medieval witch-hunts, and served as an example of what the muggles had been searching for when hunting for witches. Their translation of its text and research on its nature had been exact and true... but as none of them had a drop of magic in their veins.

They had no idea the rituals described within actually worked.

It was the Red Dragon, or Grand Grimiore. A book devoted to summoning and contracting with devils, a book of dark magic at its very darkest. It was the means by which he had summoned his servant, the Barbazu. Unfortunately, he had little to offer devils beside bloodlust as his soul was too fragmented to bargain with.

So, Voldemort had moved on and begun to scour the muggle museums and libraries of Europe. In the midst of these efforts, he had found the two more grimiores, volumes dealing with demons, binding them, and using them. Among the ritual pages had been details of stripping the magic a demon and drawing it into himself.

He had been powerful as a youth and relentless... but against such masters of magic as Grindelwald and Dumbledore with their half a century of experience, Voldemort knew he was outmatched, despite already wielding more power than any of his followers. So he had undergone those rituals and emerged with enough power to meet Dumbledore on the battlefield as an equal, matching experience and finesse with brutal power. Eleven years of 'warfare' followed.

Internally Voldemort scoffed, the Wizarding World did not know true warfare. The simple fact his followers were trained to kill had alone made them a terror for the Ministry of Magic. He had fought nothing more than a terrorist campaign, a revolution to overthrow the Ministry, and they had responded with Aurors and stunning spells. Victory had been within his grasp after a nearly bloodless campaign for his followers. A dozen had fallen to Aurors or the Order of the Phoenix.

Only Alastor Moody, the Potters, and the Longbottoms seemed to have the skill and stomach for what fighting his Death Eaters had required. The two couples had managed to fend him off in confrontations fighting as a team. Only the Prewitt brothers had approached them in terms of skill, and his minions had cut them down albeit with some of the heaviest losses to his forces of the entire campaign.

Voldemort remembered those duels. He smiled as he remembered how James Potter had fallen within moments without the aid of his wife on that fateful Halloween. They had relied on each other. As a result, they had fallen all too easily when they could not support each other.

The pureblood supremacy that his legions represented was something that amused Voldemort to no end. He had lived in Slytherin, listened to the banding about of 'Mudblood' and even believed a bit in the idea that the muggle-born were dirtied by their upbringing. He had released Slytherin's monster upon them, but... in the years since he realized that the ideology was flawed.

If muggle-blood was truly lesser, then how could he, a half-blood, be so strong compared to his minions? Instead of a personal belief, it became something he could use. This was reinforced by personal experience.

Some of the best fighters he had fought were muggle-borns, and Grindelwald's legions had been made up primarily of German half-blood and muggle-born warlocks, which had fallen under his sway.

The ideology was merely a means to power, and it was power alone that mattered.

The Barbazu picked him from the floor and set him before the books. He hissed as he reached out with the tail and flipped through the books searching for the proper ritual. If Quirrell was to be of any use, he had to be stronger than he was.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall furrowed her brow as she walked down the rather industrial part of London's East End, her gaze flicking to the small bit letter clasped in her hand. The March winds billowed through the streets as she walked along the road as she approached the waterfront and frowned.

It was a slum, and with the recent changes to the galleon exchange, Minerva was growing nervous. The change, while it ensured that galleons couldn't be sold in the muggle world for more than their old Ministry assigned value, would have a profound impact on those that would be just entering the magical world, at least amongst the poorest of the members.

She knew from the Headmaster that arrangements were being made to deal with the costs for the muggleborn students, and that Sirius Black had taken a large chunk of his vault and used it to establish a foundation for the poorest students. So far, they hadn't needed to use the fund, but that was more thanks to the muggle family which the second muggle-born in the class had come from.

Justin Finch-Fletchley may have been muggleborn but the Northamptonshire estate that she'd approached had put many of the Wizarding elite's to shame. His parents were titled, and the boy himself was the very image of an English Gentleman. Polite, well spoken, and extremely well connected in the muggle world.

Even Minerva had been surprised to hear his parents discuss Eton College, a school that was even known in the magical world for its position among the upper crust of English society.

This boy was clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum. Minerva let out a sigh as she looked up at the street numbers and made her way to the door. Inside she glanced at the flat numbers before looking back at the letter clasped in her hand.

_Mr. Dean Gerald Thomas  
The Smallest Room, Flat 5,  
238 Whitechapel Road,  
Tower Hamlets,  
Greater London_

Oddly enough, she'd noted that the castle had identified the boy as a Half-blood, but given her his acceptance letter. While such things weren't unheard of, they weren't exactly common either. Sometimes a wizard would have a short-lived relationship with a muggle, and the results occasionally had no idea of their background.

Minerva stopped before the door to Flat 5 and took a deep breath before knocking briskly. A moment later, the door opened a crack and a tall black woman stared at her from just behind the door. Her brown-eyed gaze flicked across Minerva for a moment before the woman arched an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with Mr. Thomas." Minerva said in a rather stiff voice.

"Mr. Thomas? He's not here, unless you mean one of my boys..." She answered.

"Yes, Dean," Minerva said. "I represent a school—"

"We're not interested," She answered and moved to close the door. Minerva scowled and stopped the door from slamming in her face. "I said..." She began.

"Please, Mrs. Thomas, at least allow me to explain before rejecting the offer outright." Minerva said and the woman deflated a bit before opening the door to allow her entry.

"Fine," Mrs. Thomas said turning and heading back toward the small kitchenette inside the main room of the flat. Minerva frowned as she glanced at the refuse scattered about the apartment. An old television sat along one wall atop a card table that was crowded with take-away boxes. She glanced out the window and sighed. "I'm sure you understand that we don't have the capital for tuition at an Independent School."

"That remains to be seen, Mrs. Thomas... the school I represent is partially funded by the government and this year one of the wealthier members of the community created a foundation to help those less fortunate. We are the premiere school in Great Britain for our... specialty." Minerva said carefully.

Mrs. Thomas turned and scowled. "How as Dean selected? I doubt very much that he's done anything at school to stand out enough for something like this."

"Hmm..." Minerva glanced around the room once more. There was something odd about what she'd said. Surely if he was a half-blood and his father was living with them... Then it struck her. "I take it Mr. Thomas is not the boy's father."

"No... How? How did you know?" Mrs. Thomas said.

"Mr. Thomas was selected thanks to his aptitude with the rather unusual subject matter which we teach." Minerva took a deep breath and pulled her wand from her pocket. "We teach magic, Mrs. Thomas."

"Get out!" She snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "There's no such—"

Minerva smirked as she flicked her wand. The empty take-away boxes shot to the waste bin, and the walls themselves seemed to brighten as stains from the years disappeared. The telly's flickering screen seemed to clear and a curtain of dust flew into the tip of her wand, while the pile of dishes in the sink set about washing themselves. Minerva lowered her wand and smiled faintly.

"Bloody hell," Mrs. Thomas said as she grasped her chest and stumbled back from the woman.

Minerva nodded. "Tell me, Mrs. Thomas... has Dean ever, made something happen. Something he couldn't explain?"

Mrs. Thomas blinked her eyes and glanced up at her in shock before nodding. "Yes."

* * *

Dean Thomas stepped through the door to Flat 5, behind his two younger half-siblings, Ralph and Lindsey, with a rather bemused expression on his face.

It'd been a pretty good day, which was good considering it had been Dean's birthday. Ralph and Lindsey hadn't been too much trouble, despite being eight and six years old. He'd played a decent game of football at the park and even won a fiver on the last West Ham game. Life was good.

He stumbled as Ralph, Lindsey stopped before him, almost tripping him just inside the door, and Dean's jaw dropped open at the sight of a woman clad in what looked like an emerald tartan sipped at a cup of tea. The room was clean and neat, as if it hadn't really been lived in, and he caught the end of an answer that his mum had given the woman.

"... well, money is tight. I work the night shift at the Kwik Save down the street and, my husband works a shift at the docks. I'm not sure how much we could afford for Dean's schooling."

Dean gaped. "Me? My schooling?" He stammered as his two half-siblings turned to glance between their mother and big brother.

The stern faced woman nodded. "Yes, Mr. Thomas... your schooling." Minerva said before standing up from her seat. "I have an acceptance letter for you, and your mother and I were discussing making your family's fiscal situation."

Mrs. Thomas glanced between them, "Dean, this is Professor McGonagall."

Dean nodded dumbly. "I... I'm going to some other school, where?"

"Hogwarts is in Scotland, Mr. Thomas... and one of the oldest and most prestigious education establishments in Europe. We've got a lot to discuss," Minerva said.

Dean stared at her and shook his head. It made no sense.

Professor McGonagall pulled a small length of wood from a pocket and waved it. The door slammed shut behind him and locked. She took a deep breath as the three children suddenly cowered before her. "There is no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out and say it."

"Magic is real, and you Mr. Thomas are a wizard."

Dean's eyes promptly rolled back into his head and he fainted.

* * *

Sirius Black sat in the middle of his living room, cross-legged with Tonks sitting directly across from him in a mirror of his pose. She had her eyes closed, and was humming a faint tune.

"Stop that." Sirius muttered. "The transformation requires your complete concentration, Dora, and I really don't want to have to call Minerva to fix you."

Tonks frowned as she stopped humming and glared at her cousin. "Fine."

As Tonks settled back on the carpet, she closed her eyes. Sirius smirked as he watched her settle in the seat. "Now... let's get started."

The animagus transformation remained one of the single rarest transfiguration techniques ever mastered. A combination of wandless magic, self-transfiguration, and old druidic ritual had survived through the ages. Few even tried it, as wandless magic alone remained a rare ability, and fewer continued past the initial step of a potion induced vision to identify one's form.

There had been only ten Animagi that Sirius had known about in the last century, and Tonks was attempting to become the eleventh.

Of those ten, Sirius knew of four beside himself. There was Minerva McGonagall, whom he had known in Gryffindor House and the Hogwarts classroom before fighting alongside her in the Order of the Phoenix.

Then there was Peter Pettigrew and James Potter, two of his friends who had mastered the transformation in secret at school. One was dead, and the other had disappeared into hiding after betraying James to Voldemort.

Then there was the fourth, the bumblebee, Albus Dumbledore himself.

Sirius smiled as he saw Tonks's hair turn red and bits of fur begin to sprout from the back of her hands. Tonks had only been his student for a little more than a year, and already the girl was on the verge of completing the process. He guessed that a large part of it had to do with her metamorphic abilities, as part of the training was learning to feel one's magic and using it to change oneself.

"Imagine the feel of the carpet between your paws, the sharp smell of the curry on the cooker filling your nose. You are the..." Sirius blinked as Tonks shrank, her body suddenly engulfed in red fur and the clothes disappearing beneath the transformation. A moment later, a fox sat before him, cocking her head curiously for a moment before standing up and walking in a slow circle.

"Great job, Dora." Sirius said with a grin as Tonks shifted back in a flash and grinned widely. "You did it!"

"You weren't kidding about the curry on the cooker were you, that stuff smells!" Tonks said before pushing Sirius. "Especially with that nose!"

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, change back... I need to check for identifying marks."

Tonks grinned and morphed back into her form and sat down before him, her ears twitched as Sirius crouched and carefully examined her, his eyes widening after a moment before a ripple of color seemed to run along her fur and he laughed.

"Typical, you're a metamorphagus, so you don't have normal identifying marks..." Sirius said before grinning. "But... try being a black fox, Tonks."

Tonks the fox cocked her head then glanced back at her body before a ripple ran along her body, turning the red fur black beside the tail tip, which remained white. A yip came from her as she bounced up happily and turned to Sirius, traipsing about happily before tripping over her own two feet and face planting.

Sirius burst out laughing at that and shook his head before Tonks reverted to her human form and glared up at him. "You're still clumsy."

"Ha, ha... laugh it up." She said before sitting upright and folding her arms over her chest.

Sirius shook his head before glancing at the clock. "Well, all that's left is to go get you registered—"

At that moment, a familiar cat patronus shot into the room and came to a stop before Sirius. "Sirius, I'll need your help at the Leaky, it seems we've got a boy that needs your help."

Black blinked before glancing over at Tonks. "Up for a little trip?"

* * *

"I think he's coming around." His mother's voice echoed in his ears as he blinked at the dull light ceiling of the apartment. A moment later, he blinked and sat up.

The stern faced woman was there, looking down at him with a rather bemused expression on her face.

"So... this isn't a dream?" Dean asked quietly.

"No, Mr. Thomas... it's not a dream."

Dean swallowed and looked at the woman.

"Magic is real?"

The woman gave a thin smile at those words. "Yes, Mr. Thomas... very real." She pulled a wand from her pocket and flicked it, conjuring a tea service atop the coffee-table. With another flick it transformed into a bronze statue of an elf, and then disappeared after a third flick of her wand.

Dean's mind was boggled by what he'd just witnessed. "I... I can do that?"

"After seven years at Hogwarts, yes."

The next hour made Dean Thomas's head spin, from the demonstration of magic that the Professor McGonagall conducted, to the discussion of his biological father. Then, Minerva had led them into London and into a rather shabby looking pub called the Leaky Cauldron.

There he met Mr. Black, who began to go through a detailed explanation of the fund that would be paying for his schooling and equipment, the Lily Potter Foundation. By this point, Dean was convinced. This was his chance to escape the urban poverty of his upbringing, to make something for himself.

Several hours later, he was on his way back home with a magic wand in his pocket, a trunk full of books, a cauldron, and everything else that would be required for a term at Hogwarts. He could only hope that his stepfather would accept the situation.

* * *

Tracey Davis lay back on the couch, her gaze focused upward at the tiny ball of white and blue-grey feathers that was her owl, Sprite. The small creature stared back with its red-orange eyes and gave a soft hoot before hoping along the curtain rod, twitching its head curiously as her mum flipped through the channels of the telly.

That afternoon, Tracey and Daphne had practiced a couple spells in the Greengrass's house. The elder Greengrasses had been busy with another round of purchases by members of England's pureblood elite, leaving Tracey, Daphne, and Astoria run of the home.

After the spells, Astoria and Tracey had played a round of racketball with their tennis rackets, bouncing the green ball off the hard surface of the dueling chamber's walls. After an hour, the two collapsed in the middle of the floor, the ball bouncing between them, exhausted from the improvised workout.

Now, Tracey flipped open her muggle maths book and let out a bored sigh. It was strange living in worlds, the magical and the muggle. She scribbled down the answers to the maths problems as Sprite fluttered down and perched atop her shoulder, hooting quietly.

After she finished the last problem, she snapped shut the book and glanced over at the next in the small pile of homework she'd accumulated. She picked up her physical science text book and set to work with pencil and paper, scribbling down answers as she flipped through the text.

"Trace, how's school?" Her mum asked as she set down a pile of paperwork she'd been working on in the chair.

"Fine Mum." She said. "I got an 81% on my physics essay."

"That's great dear... really good." Her mum said with a smile.

It was rare for a student to get better than a 75% in the English school system, and grades did fall roughly in line between the muggle and magical worlds, in terms of percentages anyway. 70% or higher was considered 'Outstanding' in the wizarding world, or 'Excellent' or 'Distinction' in the muggle world. A grade of a 60-69% was considered 'Exceeds Expectations', or of 'Merit' in the muggle world. A grade of 50-59% was considered a pass, or an 'Acceptable' in the wizarding world. 40-49% was the start of failing grades, and the point where the wizarding world considered the results 'Poor'. A score of 39% or less was a total fail, roughly the equivalent of a 'Dreadful' in the wizarding world.

Of course, the wizarding world had to reserve a grade of 'Troll' for work that was the absolute worse.

Tracey was good in science and chemistry, two things that she hoped would help in Herbology and Potions. Most of her other grades were good, but not extraordinary.

"A pity those credits won't transfer." Her mum said after a few moments. "Did you have fun with Daphne and Astoria?"

"Yes mum... it was great." Tracey said with a grin. "So... what are we going to do for Easter?"

* * *

_Second Author's Note: I looked up grading practices in the UK and got that result… it might not be completely accurate, as I know that the percentage scale used in the US varies between a 7% and a 10% scale in places. Still it does put Hermione's 112% on her Charms final first year, in perspective. Talk about the genius of the class._


	16. Messing About With Latin

_Author's Note: Well, this just came out of my head as pretty much a solid chunk, so here it is. I did mention that there would be a chapter about 'Messing About with Latin' and this is it…_

_Basically, this chapter goes like this… take two very bright kids, give them the ability to make any creature they can imagine so long as they can come up with the magic words and magical power, and set them loose…_

_Aves = Birds (Taxonomical Class)  
Avis = Bird-Conjuring Spell_

_Chondrichthyes = Cartilaginous Fishes (Taxonomical Class), Sharks, and Rays…  
Chondrichthyis = ?_

_Serpens = Snakes (Taxonomical Suborder)  
Serpensortia = Snake-Summoning Spell_

_Saurischia = Lizard-hipped Dinosaurs (Taxonomical Order)  
Saurisortia = ?_

_Yeah, give a ten-year-old boy and his genius eleven-year-old sister a wand, a book on Latin, Scientific Taxonomical classifications, and run…_

_Conjuring is going to be portrayed as requiring a lot of energy. This provides a rather immediate hard limit to the size of a conjured item, creature, and so forth. No one is going to be able to walk into a room and conjure an elephant, or a creature of equal mass (~5 Tons, so no T-Rex conjuring Harry!)_

_A decent wizard fully trained may be able to reliably conjure and hold a conjuration roughly the same mass as himself, a very powerful one may max out at around 5x their body weight (at the cost of most of their concentration and energy). The lighter and simpler the creature conjured the easier it is to create. With these assumptions, what's possible becomes much more limited._

_Conjuring a Tiger = Possible for powerful wizards, exhausts almost everyone.  
Conjuring a Wolf = Possible for most adult wizards, exhausts normal adult wizards.  
Conjuring a Coyote or Fox = Possible for most OWL students, exhausts OWL students.  
Conjuring a Bird, Rabbit, or Grass Snake = Possible for most students, exhausts first years._

_Now… there are ways around this… Summoning instead of conjuring a creature uses less energy (but you must know where one is). Using a ritual to summon a familiar also uses a lot of energy, but it binds the summoned creature to you. Bonding without summoning is also possible for familiars… and is a separate ritual. (Known familiar bonds: Albus and Fawkes, Nagini and Voldemort, there will be more later...)_

_The absolute largest creature I could imagine anyone creating would be around 500 kg. This would be in line with the following: Siberian Tiger, African Lion, Smilodon, Terror Bird, Utahraptor, and Grizzly Bear. Conjuring just one of those animals should be enough to make Dumbledore and Voldemort break out in a sweat, and knock most wizards out cold. Harry as an adult would be much the same, as remember Harry has enough magic, in the canon, to manage above NEWT standard spells by 3__rd__ year (Patronus Charm, anyone?). When most students have barely enough magic to manage a Lynx, Harry can make a Wolf or small Leopard, and by fourth year…_

_Avis and Saurisortia suddenly start to become effective weapons in a duel._

_Now, I could see a wizard conjuring larger inanimate objects, a bronze cannon for example is pretty simple compared to an animal (And weighs a lot more). So conjuring one could certainly be in the realm of possibility... Just as a teaser: Luna Lovegood has already been earmarked for the line, 'Perhaps a whiff of grape?'_

_McGonagall does not cover conjuration until 6__th__ year. This is because most students do not have enough magic to manage the more advanced forms of conjuration until that age, and conjuration also requires a great deal of knowledge of the forms you're trying to construct. It is assumed that students lack the discipline and concentration to conduct conjuration until after OWLs._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 16:** Messing About with Latin

* * *

Easter came and went with little fan fare, and Harry began to bore of school. The muggle subjects he was being taught felt so minor and useless compared to the subjects that Remus continued to tutor them in. Maths at least had some application at least in Arithmancy, and the sciences, especially chemistry, certainly could be applied to alchemy and potions.

Remus had all but stopped teaching the 'core' subjects of the magical curriculum at Hogwarts, aside for Potions and DADA. He had told them that their Charms and Transfiguration professors were the top of their fields, and they really should learn those subjects from them instead of him. Potions were a subject that Sirius Black had insisted they be taught, thanks to word from Nymphadora Tonks warning them about the current professor. Teaching Potions required at least a basic understanding of Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, and Remus grudgingly continued to teach a bit of those subjects as well.

Word of the new income tax for magical families splashed across the front page of the Daily Prophet to much grumbling and complaint. However, word of how the money was going to be spent led most families to simply bear it. For years, the Ministry of Magic had paid Hogwarts tuition. Unfortunately, the amount provided by the government hadn't risen along with inflation, and the Board of Governors had constantly been forced to cut corners and reduce costs in order to keep paying the staff a decent wage.

Now the new tax would pay for Hogwart's upkeep, allowing the original taxes to be allocated almost exclusively to paying tuition for the school and the staff's wages. Among the barrage of improvements planned over the summer was a complete modernization of the Quidditch Pitch, installing various cushioning charms, safety equipment, and protections to the stadium. The papers made mention of replacing the school's aging 1902 model Moontrimmer Brooms with new Comet 260 Brooms, which the company had marked down for the school as part of an advertising gimmick. Finally the papers made mention of a other equipment and improvments that were being put in place at the school.

Headmaster Dumbledore had reported that his staff was often busy emptying unused classrooms for conversion to new uses. Among them was the creation of 'club rooms' throughout the school loaded with all the necessary equipment for each club. The most expensive of which was a 'muggle technology room' for the muggle studies class that had to be isolated from the rest of the castle with a unique magical dampening mesh of metal and screens.

Hermione had likened it to a Faraday cage from the description in the paper, and wondered if the same principles behind that device held true to its magical equivalent. If so, Harry guessed that while muggle machines worked in the cage, some things wouldn't… like radios or anything that used a radio signal.

Harry had been heartened that there was mention of the purchase of two football goals and balls for the Quidditch pitch, he liked football and hoped that he could find enough others to play a few games at Hogwarts.

The pair was keeping up with their independent studies as well. Hermione had gained sufficient understanding of Latin to experiment a bit of with incantations. Among her first discoveries was that besides the simple _Maxima_, _Minima_, and _Solem_ there were a number of other modifiers for incantations. Adding the modifier _Radia_ tended to produce a solid beam of a spell, that when used with the Stunning Spell simply overwhelmed Harry's shield. Unfortunately, it also was draining enough that Hermione had almost collapsed after casting it for the first time.

Then there was _Globa_, which seemed to produce a ball that released an explosion of magic on impact. When paired with the Stunning Spell, it created a burst of stunning energy that stunned everyone within about a meter. Like _Radia_, it nearly exhausted the caster when used, and both of the children figured that if known, that was the reason it was almost never used. In a duel, it left the caster vulnerable after hurling the spell, something that could easily prove to be a fatal mistake.

Still, it did show that Hermione was at least partially on the right track with studying Latin, and Harry had begun wondering what else they could do with magic once they figured the right magic words. This led to his next experiment.

One Saturday afternoon he leaned back in his seat by Hermione and muttered, "I wonder... is there any sort of conjuring charm in there for reptiles?"

"Not in here, I saw a couple in some other books. There was a snake summoning spell, but from what I read it doesn't actually summon a snake but conjure one." She shrugged and waved to one of the bookcases. "It's over in that one... the _'Transfiguration Triumphs'_ book."

Harry nodded and pulled out the book, he flipped through it before finding the Serpent Summoning Spell. _"Serpensortia." _He murmured before glancing at his sister. "Hermione... what's the Latin name for snake?"

"_Serpens_ is the taxonomical name... I think that's how it determines what you're conjuring, that and you imagining the creature to specify what sort of snake." Hermione said.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense... where's the Latin dictionary?" Harry asked as he glanced back at the book.

"Third shelf on the right," Hermione muttered as she flipped the page of her Grimiore. "Why?"

"Nothing..." Harry said before he shut the book and set it on the end table. He walked over and grabbed the massive Latin dictionary from the shelf. He sat down with it in his lap and flipped through the pages.

_**Ortus:**_ _past participle of __**Orior.**__ 1.) I rose, got up. 2.) I appeared, became visible. 3.) I was born, came to exist, originated._

Harry frowned and licked his lips for a moment before sticking a bookmark on the page and shutting the Latin dictionary. Then he reopened the spell-book and found the Serpent Summons Spell again.

He chewed his lip as his brain engaged: Serpens - Ortia, a serpent came to exist.

_Could it honestly be that simple?_ He shook his head for a moment before standing up and walking back to the bookshelf and pulling out another paperback book, now rather worn and tattered from excessive use by a ten-year-old boy: "Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life".

He flipped through the book, searching for the taxonomical tree that showed the whole evolution of life on earth and chewed his lip. He ran a finger down the list until he reached Suborder for one of the few reptiles he'd seen before, a gecko, and hummed to himself.

_Could it be that simple?_ He asked himself again.

Harry picked up the various books and headed out into the backyard with his wand and a winter coat. Moisture covered the grass and Harry could see his breath condense before him in the chilling April afternoon. He glanced back at the book and focused on the wand movement for the Snake Summons Spell.

Suddenly having biology and life science seemed to make much more sense as he pictured the snake in his mind, first the skeleton, then the organs and muscles, before finally adding the skin covered with scales.

He lifted his wand to his shoulder and slashed out, remembering a black adder he'd seen on a camping trip to the Forest of Dean, and shouted. _"Serpensortia!"_

With a bang, a long black snake shot from his wand and dropped into a coil atop the grass. Harry felt his magic drain slightly as he stared at the snake, which seemed to shiver for a moment and he thought he heard it say, 'Cold' before dissolving into the air.

Harry gasped for breath and closed his eyes, he must have imagined the snake complaining about the weather, then he lifted his wand and repeated the process, imagining a bright green gecko and shouted. _"Schleroglortia!"_

The tug on his magic was harder and Harry almost dropped to his knees when the gecko shot from his wand and landed with a slump in the snow. It scurried away for a moment before dissolving into the air just as the snake had.

"It worked..." Harry murmured to himself. He spun back to the book and tore it open, flipping through the pages. He frowned when he stopped at the page listing and took a deep breath. "Maybe... maybe it'll work with just the order, not the suborder."

He stood up and closed his eyes feeling his magic pulsing through his body. Just the two early conjurations were a workout it seemed for his ten-year-old body. Still, he wanted to try it. He flipped through the book looking for one of the smallest examples of a Dinosaur. He stopped on _Compsognathus_.

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to imagine and envision the inner-workings of the dinosaur. Maybe if he did perfectly well there the rest would follow. He envisioned the skeleton, the muscles, the tendons, and a set of brilliant green scales like he'd seen on the gecko. Then he waved his wand.

_"Saurisortia,"_ Harry incanted and a green-scaled creature no larger than a chicken shot from the tip of his wand and face planted in the snow. It staggered upright, shook its head, and Harry focused on the creature, feeding it some of his magic to keep the conjured beast before him.

"Wicked..." Harry murmured as the dinosaur twisted to look up at him. It chirped before cocking its head curiously. Harry closed his eyes and sighed. "Bye, bye..."

The dinosaur slowly dissolved as Harry let go of the creation and watched it fade away, but an enormous smile slid across his lips. "It works."

"Brilliant!" Harry said before scrambling back inside.

Harry slowly felt a smirk play across his lips as he checked the book again and practiced the wand movement for a few moments when he found Hermione curled up with her book. Then he envisioned the small green dinosaur, and pointed the wand to the ground beside Hermione. _"Saurisortia!"_

There was a bang and the small green dinosaur face-planted beside Hermione who screamed and jumped up in her seat as the green dinosaur made a growling noise and stumbled upright and staggered for a moment. Harry felt his hair bead with sweat as he felt the drain on his magic from the conjuration as the creature stumbled and chirped before slowly dissolving and Harry collapsed back into his chair.

Hermione glared at him for a long moment before slowly smiling. "Harry..."

"Yeah?"

"I think you just invented a spell." She said with a grin.

"I... I think you're right." Harry said before wiping his brow. Then his eyes bugged out of his sockets. "I INVENTED A SPELL!"

Hermione nodded before bursting into giggles. "Better put that in your Grimiore Harry!"

"So... cool." Harry murmured.

Hedwig wasn't pleased with Harry's new discovery, as tiny dissolving creatures began to scurry around her perch as he experimented. Harry felt drained each time he conjured a creature and guessed that it had to be because of their mass. Even a slightly larger creature was almost painfully difficult to conjure. When he tried to make an iguana, he'd almost passed out after creating the creature for a grand total of three seconds.

Harry did find that the fact that magic could create anything that he imagined based on his intent was truly awe inspiring, and Remus had almost fainted the first time he'd shown him the variants on _Serpensortia_ that he'd created. The man then admitted that during his time at Hogwarts there'd been quite a number of students that had created new hexes and jinxes, his mother among them.

Harry then branched out a bit with Hermione by exploring the limits of the Bird-Conjuring Charm, _Avis_. They quickly realized that at their current magical abilities, the creation of anything much larger then a canary was almost impossible, let alone the three full-sized birds that was considered 'a good display' of the charm. Harry had proceeded to work his way backward from the basic canary in time, trying to find when _Avis_ failed to work for an incantation. He had fainted after imagining a baby _Archaeopteryx_ and conjuring the creature for a good ten seconds.

Hermione had experimented in another direction, and managed to conjure a squirrel after using the incantation '_Mammis'_. Soon, the house filled with tiny conjured creatures ranging from a mouse that had disappeared just after Hedwig snatched it, to a tiny corn-snake that Harry swore was whistling a tune as it crawled across the floor. All lasted barely a minute or two at most.

There were, unfortunately, failures. Hermione's first attempt at a frog had resulted in a rather disgusting puddle of slime that disappeared after a second, and when Harry tried to conjure a small raptor like those from the book Jurassic Park, the resulting creature looked took the proper shape but appeared to have been stripped of its scales, leaving it looking like a plucked turkey.

Hermione took five tries before she succeeded in conjuring a tiny shark about the size of her hand and dropping it into the bathtub. Her incantation, _'Chrondrichthyis'_ went straight into the Potter and Granger Grimiores, as Harry could immediately imagine the use for it in pranks.

Jean Granger screamed when Hermione dropped the tiny shark into her bath and ran out giggling later that night. She wasn't giggling later, as Hermione lost her wand privileges for a week.

Harry thought it was worth it, until Dan Granger had pointed out that the small shark she'd conjured was a spiny 'dogfish' with venom that actually could have hurt her. Hermione was in tears afterwards, and Harry admitted it had been a cruel prank to play. Especially after Dan turned on Harry and talked about him being a bad influence.

Though Harry did have to wonder if venom from a conjured creature was dangerous or not.

As they continued to experiment, they found oddly that it was the conjuring of birds and serpents that remained the easiest for them and neither of the two could figure out why. Conjuring snakes and birds seemed to require less magic than any other creatures. Harry guessed that it was because snakes were relatively simple and that birds massed much less, than they appeared thanks to their feathers and airspaces in their bones.

Remus just said it was something that the 'Department of Mysteries' was studying for the Ministry. Harry figured that conjuring anything besides snakes and birds was rare then, as draining ones magic was an instant way to lose a duel. Perhaps it was done in the classroom as examples, but that was it.

"Actually, I'm stunned you two are trying this... Professor McGonagall won't know what to do with you conjuring stuff as first years." Remus admitted. "Normally you'd just be transfiguring matches into needles and stuff like that."

Outside of Conjuration, which was what Hermione and Harry had decided to call their experiments (even though it was taught as part of the Transfiguration class), they toyed with a number of charms and spells and bombarded their tutor with questions that Remus all too often was just as stumped by.

Like asking how the Mending Charm could create permanent repairs when Transfigurations were temporary. The question had sent the pair into a whole series of trial and error experiments that drove both of their parents barmy when they came home to find Harry and Hermione breaking things and studying how they mended after the charm.

April and May sped by and the pair were actually caught by surprise when their mother brought up final exams. Hermione had almost fainted when she realized she had been revising as much as she'd planned and Harry grimaced as the madness of test time seemed to catch hold of Hermione.

He was nearly tied down to his chair, working through the assembled reviews that Hermione organized. His sister was driven to the point that Harry considered quite simply the single barmiest girl in the world when it came to grades. A pass or even a grade worthy of 'merit' didn't satisfy her. Hermione had a driving need to be 'right' and as a result wouldn't be satisfied except by the highest levels of distinction and grades that physically pained her teachers to award. She wanted to have a hundred percent on every test, to answer every question, and explain in such detail that even the teachers couldn't even consider the possibility that she was wrong.

Harry was more than happy with just passing with a 'distinction' or 'merit', and shook his head at her antics. He'd long ago given up on getting her to tone down her obsession with grades. Instead, he simply sighed and let Hermione bury him under a study schedule and enough revising to qualify himself as an editor for the Daily Prophet.

He let out a sigh of relief when the final exams finally arrived and Hermione turned into her usual post exam wreck. Harry was sure she had passed with distinction once again, as he was certain she was a genius, but Hermione's terror at the thought of being wrong returned full force.

"You did fine." Harry told her for the tenth time as they waited for their parents to pick them up for the school-run home.

"But... but, the question on King Charles and—"

"Hermione! We're going to Hogwarts, I don't think it'll matter how good you did on the finals, and even if it did... you're top of the class." Harry said before rolling his eyes in irritation.

"But... I hate being wrong!" Hermione harrumphed. "I mean, I suppose I didn't need to study for Cromwell's administration, as it wasn't on the test but..."

"YOU DID FINE!" Harry said again and turned her to face him. "You're a genius Mione, if you failed... What do you think I got?"

Her brown eyes flashed before she bit her lip and sighed. "But..."

"Stop it, you're making me depressed!" Harry said. "You did great, I know it!"

She nodded, and Harry knew that she didn't really believe it, and wouldn't until she saw the results. Harry let out a sigh. "It's not like it was the GCSE..."

It was no use, and Harry decided that he desperately needed to find a way to get his sister's mind off the final exams as their parent's car came to a stop and they clambered inside.

* * *

Ginny Weasley clasped her mother's hand as she was led through the barrier between the magical platform of 9 ¾ and the rest of King's Cross Station. The bright red engine that was the Hogwarts Express hadn't arrived yet, and Ginny stood on her tip toes and gazed down the tracks with a curious expression on her face.

Ron harrumphed as a couple of the other waiting families bumped him as they tried to get their first look at their returning children. The two of them had been alone at home with their mother, a situation that was driving Ron barmy as she was coming down especially harder on him, hoping to get him to focus more on coursework. Ginny bit her lip as she thought of what was likely to come when Ron went off to Hogwarts and she was left alone with Mum.

It wasn't that she didn't love her mum, but she could be suffocating at times. Ginny knew she didn't conform to the ideal of the young lady that her mum thought she should become. She had six older brothers, what else could she have honestly expected?

A whistle pierced the air and Ginny bounced on her toes just in time to see the scarlet engine puff its way into the platform and the squeal of its brakes echoed in the platform. A moment later, the conductor stepped out as the Prefects kicked out step stools and started to direct the mass of children off the train.

The noise and absolute confusion that filled the platform made it very hard for Ginny to find her brothers, as she was shorter than average height. It wasn't until Percy stepped in front of her mother, with his disgusting rat in a pocket, that she saw him. He wiped at the glasses he wore before reaching down and patting Ginny's shoulder.

"Good to see you Mother."

"Percy, did you have a good term?" Ginny's mum asked.

"DID HE EVER!" Fred Weasley shouted as he clasped his older brother's shoulder. "How many points did you earn for turning us into McGonagall?"

"I think it was a hundred." George said.

Percy rolled his. "I didn't earn points for that... You two deserved it for trying to enchant that devil's snare to undo Spinnet's blouse."

"YOU TWO DID WHAT?" Molly Weasley screamed and Ginny grinned. It was great that the twins were back.

* * *

Quirrell swallowed nervously as he trudged through the small village of wizardfolk hidden in the depths of the Albanian woods. He glanced at the purse full of golden coins that his lord had given him, and felt a chill run down his back. Casting a wary glance about the village he stepped through the door of one of the brightly lit shops and stumbled up to the counter.

An older goblin glanced up at him and hissed faintly. "English..."

"How did you know?" Quirrell asked nervously.

"The smell..." The older goblin said with a snort before glancing over his shoulder at an array of blades that were displayed behind him. "You have Galleons?"

"Yes, of course..." Quirrell said.

"What will it be?" He asked before gesturing to his collection of wares. "A good short-sword laced with silver for combating a werewolf? Perhaps a..."

"Actually, I have a commission." Quirrell whispered as he pulled a bit of parchment from his pocket. The old goblin blinked curiously as Quirrell handed the parchment over, he arched an eyebrow as he read the description and glanced up at him.

"This is... an unusual request." The goblin said as he examined the parchment again and began to mutter under his breath in gobblygook.

"If price is an-"

The goblin scowled and shook his head. "It will be expensive, but the fact you know of the blade shows you must have the wealth for it." He glanced up at Quirrell then glanced over his shoulder at the workroom door. "Virlym Di'orn, we have a commission."

A low hiss came from the room door. A moment later, a figure vaguely reminiscent of a House-elf stepped into the dimly lit room. It was about two feet tall, and clad in blood red robes that draped loosely over its form. Its face was long and shaped vaguely like a crocodile's with two large bat-like ears that jetted back behind its head like a frill. A serpentine tail flicked nervously as it stepped up to the counter and Quirrell watched the brown-scaled figure pluck a jeweler's lens from one eye and polish it briskly against its robe.

The creature hissed quietly and snapped into rapid fire hissing speech that sounded like some twisted and dark form of German.

The goblin barked back in the same language, and Quirrell watched the two argue for several minutes before the goblin turned toward him. "How much are you willing to pay?"

Quirrell set the purse on the table. "One-hundred galleons."

The one that Quirrell guessed was called Virlym hissed with laughter before toppling from the stool. The Goblin snorted. "A commission such as this, is worth far more than one-hundred galleons. It's an Elbrus blade."

Quirrell swallowed. "H-How, mu-u-uch?" He couldn't go back to his master without the blade. His shivered at the thought of what the Barbazu would be permitted to do with him.

"One thousand galleons," The goblin hissed. "Or the kobold and I tell the auror's of your request..."

"I-I could g-go e-elsewhere!" Quirrell stammered.

"And risk us telling others of your… request?" The Goblin hissed. "Perhaps you should have gone to some Duergar?"

Quirrell blanched before reluctantly pulling out a bank note for his vault and writing down a thousand galleons. He passed it to the goblin who nodded once. "It shall be completed within the day..."

Quirinus Quirrell nodded and stepped out of the shop. He had not gone a dozen steps before an owl fluttered from the sky and dropped onto his shoulder.

With a scowl, he pulled the note from the bird's talons and skimmed it quickly.

_Quirinus,_

_As per your agreement with Professor Dumbledore, you will be returning to Hogwarts to teach Defense this coming year. Please send your textbook selection as soon as possible so they may be added to the class book list._

_Sincerely,  
Minerva_


	17. School Supplies and a Devil Bound

_Author's Note: As you have no doubt figured out, I'm drawing source material from this story from well… everywhere. We have a traditional Albanian Demon, and details of Alchemy for you to chew on… plus Harry goes shopping, again._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part I:** The Hidden World

* * *

**Chapter 17:** School Supplies and a Devil Bound

* * *

Early that July, Harry and Hermione received their first owl post of the month from Hogwarts. Each contained a list of books and materials, which resulted in the pair of them immediately turning to their parents and beginning to clamor for a chance to go into London and Diagon Alley specifically. It took some time though, as both of the Grangers worked during the week and it wasn't until the following Saturday that the pair were able to take the trip in to London.

Naturally, they met Sirius and Remus in the Leaky Cauldron and followed them to Gringotts. Harry took fifty galleons from his trust vault and handed half to Hermione on the trip up. It was no surprise that the first place that Hermione declared she wanted to go to was the book store.

Sirius snorted at that, but quickly came up with a compromise. "I tell you what, Remus and I'll take Harry to get some of these other things and we'll meet you at Flourish and Blotts. Then we can hit up some of the rare bookstores, for other reading material? We might want to hold off on robes until its closer to the start of the year, as you two are both growing."

The Grangers chuckled at Hermione's almost awestruck look at the thought of going into the rare bookstores that were scattered around the Alley. They quickly agreed and Harry followed his two 'uncles' through the throng of shopping wizards to a shop called _The Bag of Holding_. Inside, Sirius led him to a rather grey looking man with a copy of the specialty paper _The Charms Chronicle_ opened up before him.

Sirius cleared his throat and the man jumped a bit before snapping shut his paper and looking up through thick glasses at the three of them. "Well, customers... It is good to see you Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, and... Who is this?"

Harry felt Sirius put his hands on his shoulders and smiled faintly. "This, Mr. Mitan, is Harry Potter."

"My word..." He stared at Harry for a long moment. "So the rumors of your survival are true, Mr. Potter... I must say that I am glad, your parents invested quite a bit in my shop during their day. I do think that I would not have been successful without their support, and grieve their loss most dearly." He bowed his head slightly before smiling. "I believe. It's time for you to Hogwarts then... as you are nearly eleven, aren't you my boy?"

"Yes sir." Harry said nervously. "Does... does that mean I— my parents... that I'm your stockholder or something?"

"Yes, it does... though your parents never bothered to use any of their power over me, so long as they got their percentage. I must say, I'm glad I did not have Malfoy as a stockholder for this shop." He chuckled faintly at that. "Now, let me guess... a trunk and perhaps a book bag?"

"That's right... though I think it might be best to get a two-compartment model with an undetectable expansion charm. Harry is a bit like Lily. He loves to read almost as much as his adopted sister." Remus said after a moment. "Actually, we need two, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do..." Sirius said. "The book-bags should have some charms as well... at least a feather-weight charm." He said and Mr. Mitan stood up, walked over to a line of trunks on his shelf, pulled two out, and dropped them onto the counter. He pulled out a wand and tapped each, mumbling to himself.

As Harry watched, a house crest appeared on one of them and his name appeared in rather ornate script. He could see a couple alchemical stones flare to life from the enchantments the man was placing on the trunk, then Mr. Mitan was done and started to work on the second chest.

"What is the name of Harry's adopted sister?" He asked.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Harry said at that. "Um... we found out that her family has a house crest too... could you put it on my chest as well. They... they took me in after all."

"Of course, do you have a reference for it?" Mr. Mitan said as Hermione's name appeared on the trunk. Harry shook his head before Remus pulled out a battered copy of _Nature's Nobility_, flipped through it to the Granger's name, and handed it over.

A few moments later the second crest had been added to Harry's trunk and Hermione's was completed. Then he set to work on a set of book bags, adding the crest and names as well. When he was finished, Sirius stopped Harry from going for his coin purse and pulled out his book of bank notes saying only, "I'll cover it, Harry. This sort of custom work is expensive, but I know the two of you will put those trunks to good use."

Remus and Sirius carried the two trunks out while Harry managed the two book bags and followed the pair. They swung by _Potage's Cauldron Shop_ and bought two pewter cauldrons of the standard size 2 variety, along with a pair of tiny ones, which the two kids had gotten the idea of getting and using them to sterilize their tools. Sirius had insisted on buying a set of brass scales for them. Though Harry and Hermione had decided that a muggle style scale worked almost ten times better, then the crude sort that wizards seemed to prefer.

Harry had picked out the glass phials they'd need for potions and spent a few more minutes ambling around looking for other items that could be useful. He didn't find much, aside for gold plated stirring set which tempted him, not due to shiny nature of the gold but because he knew gold was non-reactive, something that the silver instruments that the list seemed to push for couldn't claim.

Harry put his foot down when Sirius pointed out a telescope in a shop window. "Sirius, do you see it? It's got two polished glass lenses? A set of muggle binoculars has better magnification. If I'm doing astronomy, me and Hermione will do it right. We can get a big reflective muggle telescope and use that. I'm sure they make them without electronics still."

"Fine." Sirius muttered with a shrug. "Have it your way, Harry. But if your professor complains, I warned you."

Harry figured that even the most ardent believer of magical superiority would have to admit that a good muggle telescope was better than such a hunk of junk after looking through the eyepiece.

They did stop by a shop and buy two sets of dragon-hide gloves, as Harry had to admit that dragon hide put normal leather to shame, and after wrestling one of Hermione's conjured snapping turtles into the bathtub, it was immediately useful. It wasn't until Harry saw a set of old fashioned fountain and dip pens in a display at _Scribbulus Writing Instruments_ that he stopped again, immediately buying a set for himself and Hermione, as they both found writing with a Quill to be a pain. He also bought a rather large supply of parchment and a scraping kit, which he would share with Hermione.

Harry and Hermione had found that the one single real benefit to parchment was that it could be scraped clean and reused.

It wasn't until Harry had walked by _Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment _that he was tempted again. Through the windows, he saw a wide assortment of different devices that peeked his curiosity. As he stepped inside, he found that much like Ollivanders the inside was larger than the exterior. There were aisles of display, and shelves upon shelves of different tools and devices. One seemed to be magical toys, which included a fully animated dragonfly which shot past him as he walked past.

"May I help you?" A soft voice asked and Harry jumped in surprise as an owlish looking man stepped from between the aisles and looked down at him. "Aww... I have not seen you before, mister?"

"Potter." Harry said nervously. "I was just looking."

"Ah, good... an inquisitive mind, is there anything in particular you were looking for?" He asked.

"No." Harry said with a shrug. He glanced up as a small golden ball fluttered down from a shelf overhead. "Is that a snitch?"

"Aww, yes..." The man said with a faint smile. "This is one of the toy models, not really meant for competitive use." He said before plucking the ball from the air. "It's made of bronze instead of gold."

"How does it keep from crashing into things?" Harry asked curiously.

"Aww, you are interested in the way these devices work then?" The shopkeeper smiled. "Well, in this case it utilizes an advanced runic array that gives it a 'bird's' intelligence of a sort. A similar sort of mind is built into the dragonflies I've made as well." He released the snitch and stepped into a side aisle. "If you are interested..." He returned with a small book entitled _Runic Programming for Magick Devices_ by Artifice Thowt. "I suggest you read this... have you read anything on runes?"

Harry nodded. "I've been studying runes and hex signs a bit."

"Good, very good, I hope to see you making devices in the future... there are so few of us that do anymore." The shopkeeper said with a faint smile. "Everyone tries to do everything with spells, but for some things... a device is better."

Harry nodded as he took the book. "Thank you sir... how much?"

"Oh, I'll settle for a galleon if you find something else to take with you." The shopkeeper said with a faint smile.

Harry nodded and set out through the store, eventually he stumbled on a thought blueprinter, a device that vaguely resembled a combination drafting set and an old-fashioned printing press. It used the thoughts and knowledge of its user to turn an idea, almost any idea, into a set of plans and blueprints to turn it into a reality.

All one had to do was tap one's wand to his temple and say, _Ideam_. A strand of liquid thought could then be drawn to his wand tip, which he could drop onto the device's input tray.

It cost much more then the galleon the shopkeeper had originally expected him to spend, and Harry didn't complain realizing the device was much more useful then the animated bronze cannon that had first tempted him. It wasn't perfect, as the device made blueprints based on his thoughts, which certainly contained enough human error to require the plans to be tweaked at least.

Five galleons poorer, he walked out of the shop and made his way at last to Flourish and Blotts. Immediately, he found Hermione by the counter with a towering stack of books on subjects ranging from transfiguration and potions, to hex signs and wards. Their parents had already set to work collecting all the first yearbooks and setting them in a separate, smaller, stack by the register.

"Hermione... we haven't even gone to the rare books store." Harry muttered as he saw the listing stack and arched a dubious eyebrow. "Have you spent all the galleons I gave you?"

"I have five left." Hermione harrumphed. "And we'll share the books, I'm sure."

Harry sighed as he helped pack away the books into the trunks they'd bought, and was immediately grateful for the undetectable expansion charm and the second compartment meant just for books. How two compartments of supposedly near infinite volume fit within the rather ordinary looking trunk was somewhat perplexing. Did they exist in some sort of pocket dimension?

With their schoolbooks, and Hermione's small library worth of reading material, they headed out the doors and down the alley.

Two doors down they found a small rare bookshop, which resulted in Hermione, almost immediately disappearing behind some crowded shelves. Harry had just started to peruse the shelves when she returned with five books in her arms and a pained expression on her face. He knew she'd just spent the last of the galleons he'd handed her, and she hadn't been able to get the whole lot she wanted.

Of course, getting the whole lot required buying the store's entire selection. A glance at Hermione's selection made Harry smile as he saw the titles: _Romani Magi_, _Magicis Historiis_, _The Muggleborn Mage_ by Simone Minet, _Les Éléments Fondamentaux de l'Alchimie_ by Nicolas Flamel, and _The Magical Properties of the Chemical and Alchemical Elements_ by Julius Lothar Meyer, translation and foreword by the Alchemist Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Harry knew that of the books, only two were written in a language he could manage, while Hermione was quickly learning Latin and had already mastered french.

"Wow... I didn't know Dumbledore translated things." Sirius said. "Of course, he's what... two hundred years old?"

"One hundred and five I think." Remus said automatically.

Harry glanced at his coin-purse as Hermione paid for the books and frowned. "Dad, can we swing by the Bank before we leave?"

Dan Granger glanced up from the shelf of books he'd been studying before shrugging. "Sure, why Harry?"

"Well, I was going to exchange some galleons, I'd like to get a muggle telescope for Astronomy." Harry said and Dan smiled.

"That sounds fine, why don't you write up a list of all the muggle stuff you think you two could use, and we'll get that on the way out of London." Dan said as he clasped his shoulder. "If you're sure you don't want a good book or two."

Harry grinned. "I'll leave that to Hermione."

* * *

It had taken a fortnight for the funds to clear, but the damnable kobold and his goblin negotiator had come through. Quirrel bit his lip as he ran a finger along the edge of the silvery blade in his hand and glanced over at the kobold. There was an energy in the blade, an infusion of malevolent cold that made his hands burn when he held it without gloves. A set of runes ran along the length of its blade and a blood stone was set in its pummel.

"It will do what it is meant to do?" Quirrell asked and the kobold gave a derisive hiss, which the goblin translated.

"It will... unless your plans are wrong."

Quirrell sneered and slipped the dagger into the folds of his cloak. "Good, a pleasure doing business with you."

He slipped out of the shop and pulled the cowl of his robes up as he walked along, weaving between the occasional shopper. In one corner he saw a rather pale looking woman with a crossbow slung over a shoulder, loaded with alchemical silver bolts. Her eyes glimmered slightly as he passed and Quirrell increased his pace, not wishing to deal with the locals.

He wandered through the woods, intent on finding his way back to his master when a wake passed overhead and Quirrell glanced up, but nothing was there. He scowled before resuming his march through the woods.

Then, after hours in the darkening forest, Quirrell stumbled out into a small clearing dominated by a single solid granite boulder.

"You have need of my service..." A female voice called and Quirrell spun to see what looked like a woman clad in crimson robes leaning over the coiled adder which was Voldemort's current host.

_I have need of it, Stihi, and if all goes as I have planned... I will have greater need of it in the future._ Voldemort's voice hissed in Quirrell's mind and the wizard stumbled.

The black form of the Barbazu stepped from the edge of the clearing, his glaive clasped in his hand. Quirrell gaped as the woman's eyes flashed a bloody red and her red hair began to smolder. A snarl slipped from the woman's lips. "You mean to threaten me, wizard? With your pet? You may be an immortal of sorts, but so am I!"

_No... I have need of your service. I did not lie about that. What I require is blood of a demon, and a dragon..._ Voldemort hissed. _You are both._

Stihi stepped back. "You truly are a dark lord, delving in arts such as this! I thought they were forgotten." She laughed before holding out her hand to the Barbazu, and the devil stared dumbly for a long moment before she snapped. "Hand it over, whelp!"

Quirrell swallowed as he stared at the woman. She grabbed hold of the glaive's edge with her bare hand and he gasped as a trickle of blood began to run down the serrated edge of the weapon. Within moments it seemed to have been bathed in blood as the tiny gash in her hand released a torrent. Then, as if completely unencumbered by the wound or blood loss, she tossed the glaive to the Barbazu.

"I do hope that is sufficient..." Stihi hissed.

The Barbazu nodded once and the adder hissed. _It is. I have a copy of the book you seek here..._

The coils of the snake pushed a worn volume written in an ancient script across the granite floor to the woman who glanced at her hand. Suddenly flames crackled to life where the gash in her palm lay and Quirrell stared in shock as it closed.

"Who... who are you?"

The woman ignored her and picked up the book. A moment later she suddenly burst into flames which spread out life an inferno overhead. Quirrell gaped as the flames took the form of an enormous dragon, over three hundred feet across from wingtip to wingtip, which shot into the sky and disappeared with an earth shattering roar.

Quirrell staggered as the air seemed to reverberate with the passage of the dragon composed entirely of flames and stuttered. "Wha-What form of magic was that?"

_There are far more things in this world then you shall ever find within your books, Quirrell. Stihi is but one of the ancients of magic that remain scattered throughout the world, the Gods and Demons of myth and legend if you will._ The adder hissed and began to slither across the floor as Voldemort's disembodied voice called out. _Prepare for the ritual._

"M-Master?" Quirrell stammered as the Barbazu drove its bloodied glaive into the granite rock face and began to carve an array of runes into it. "Where, how... How did you learn these things?"

The adder stopped and glanced back at him. _From the muggle legends of this place, Quirinus. What are we wizards, but myths to muggles, and if we can hide ourselves from them, why cannot something far greater hide itself from us?_

"Y-y-you mean that some of our legendary creatures, the s-s-sort of r-r-rubbis-s-sh that fills the Quibbler are true?" He stammered. "What, what does it mean?"

The adder hissed as if chuckling to himself. _What does it mean? That is the question isn't it?_ The adder continued to hiss to itself as it turned away and slithered out of sight.

_If we consort with demons and devils… _He shook his head at that line of reasoning, it was impossible. Such things were muggle myths, muggle legends. They couldn't be true.

_There is only power and those too weak to seek it! _He told himself, pushing away thoughts of damnation as Voldemort returned and he cast his gaze back toward the granite slab beneath his feet.

Quirrell stood riveted to the spot, his eyes wide with fear. The huge slab of granite beneath his feet was bloodied, and he felt his teeth ache at the sound of the Barbazu's glaive cutting through the stone. Quirrell's gaze flicked to the common adder that circled the runes chiseled into stone, which was the Dark Lord's newest puppet. The devil muttered under his breath as he finished the etchings and stepped back, his voice twisted and cruel as he spoke words that it took Quirrell a moment to recognize as some twisted version of Aramaic, the very language which gave form to the Killing Curse.

The Barbazu set a black book at the edge of the circle and stepped back as the adder hissed and slowly approached the circle, a dove clutched in its jaws. As Quirrell watched, the snake slithered to the edge of the book and opened it with the flick of his tail. A moment later, a low hissing came from the serpent as the Dark Lord spoke through the snake. Energy sparked from the ritual circle engraved in the stone and Quirrell felt an icy cold wind sweep through the forests.

Black energy crackled as it leapt from the runic circle's edges to the center. A thunderclap echoed overhead before a squat red figure with bat-like ears and a barbed tail appeared in the center of the circle, hissing in some dark language. The creature froze as it saw the dove still struggling within the coils of the snake and leapt forward, his claws flashing as he let out a feral hiss of glee.

_You wish for strength, now is your chance Quirrell!_ The Dark Lord spoke in his mind as the adder slithered away from the struggling dove, now struggling against the tiny devil's claws. _The blade is ready. All that remains is that you use it!_

Quirrell felt the silver dagger in his hand and took a deep breath before crouching behind the little devil as it tore the dove to shreds. He lifted the silver dagger over his head and drove it down, stabbing the tiny devil through the back. The runes along its blade flashed with a brilliant red light and then the devil screamed. With a boom, the red imp was sucked into the blade and Quirrell felt his blood burn as the creature's magic was ripped from its body and directed into his own.

The blade burned in his hand and Quirrell dropped it. For a long moment he stared at the smoking silver dagger. The Barbazu snickered under his breath as the snake which contained the dark lord slid forward and coiled round the still smoldering dagger.

Quirrell pulled forth his wand, feeling the power crackling through his body.

_You will not need it._ The Dark Lord spoke through his mind and Quirrell frowned. After a moment, he put the wand away and felt a tingle run through his hands. A slight smile played across his lips as he envisioned a glass of the finest red wine and he snapped his fingers.

With a crack, a glass of wine appeared on the stone before him and Quirrell's smile grew wider. _This was true power..._

_We have a long journey ahead of us._ The Dark Lord spoke coolly.

"Where to my lord?" Quirrell asked. "What is your bidding?"

_We travel to Devon, there is a key there to my return, and you will help me obtain it._

* * *

Agent Kim Hunter rubbed her eyes as she shut the filling cabinet. Thus far, there had been little to draw her attention. The reports seemed to blur together at times, as most contained little of definite information, and at times Kim was more than tempted to dismiss things as being the hallucinations or drunken ramblings of some fellow at the pub.

That was until she found the files on the War. Like most people, when anyone said the words 'the War' she was immediately thought of the last 'great' war, the Second World War. Some of the stories told in the field reports sent chills down her spine.

It had long been a mystery exactly how the Germans had beaten the French in 1940 despite having inferior tanks, inferior numbers, and loosing in every single war-game and strategic study of the situation since. The mystery however only deepened as she read a series of reports from MI-6 operatives who detailed a number of 'suspicious' characters around the French High Command, and talking about the French Generals having a look akin to being bludgeoned atop the head most of the time.

There were other oddities, among them a request by the Queen of England to send a small detachment into Paris in the waning days of the Battle of France to extract a man from a French neighborhood.

_REPORT OF THE JUNE 11TH SPECIAL ACTION IN PARIS:_

_We took an armored car from the embassy and drove to the objective, a house on 51 rue de Montmorency. Upon our arrival we found a dozen figures clad in the grey uniform of the German Whermacht, wearing black sleeves emblazoned with a strange mark in white, like a triangle divided in half, containing a circle. Two of the men turned to us as we approached and Lt. Mallory took aim with the Vickers of our car. As they lifted rifles to bear on us, we opened fire._

_Two of the enemy fell immediately and we saw a brilliant red bolt of light shoot out of the house and struck amongst the crowd of Germans. A fireball exploded from where the ray hit the brick street and five of our opponents disappeared in the flames._

_One of the group, an older man with slightly curly graying blond hair, spun toward our car and lifted a knotted rod of wood. A blast of golden light shot from the tip and struck our car in the engine, blowing it apart. We coasted to a stop with our machine guns still firing._

_By the time we had scrambled out of the burning and smoking wreck, the band of Germans was gone. We proceeded on foot to our objective, and found the house deserted. The interior was ransacked, as though one had grabbed everything of value before running. Oddly, most of the papers we found were made of parchment and written in Latin._

_We burned them as requested by the Crown. That done, we returned to the Embassy and prepared for immediate evacuation to England._

_Col. Edward Richardson_

Attached to the report was a photograph of a parchment note, written in rather looping script that had arrived at Buckingham Palace on June 12th of 1940.

_Your Majesty,_

_I must thank you for the assistance of your military in the rescue of my dear friend, and I can assure that I have renewed efforts to increase communication and coordination between our leadership and your Prime Minister. I do not know if I can rightly assure that such a line of communication will be established, but will attempt to make my fellows understand that it is essential for our common cause._

_The man behind Hitler remains a grave threat to both our worlds, as this is not the first time he has directed a war against our people. Gellert Grindelwald and his forces are singularly responsible for the collapse of the french, as my contacts have reported that the French General Staff fell under the influence of his forces. Enchanted and confunded by German Wizards, they were incapable of leading their forces, and only served to sabotage their nation's own defense._

_You may rest assured that we will take every precaution to ensure this does not occur on English soil. I must thank you again for the salvation of my friend, Nicolas, as I have no doubt that some great disaster would result in such a capable alchemist falling into the hands of the enemy. I have convinced him to settle in Devon, hopefully out of the sight of Grindelwald's legions._

_Your loyal servant,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,  
Deputy Headmaster, Professor of Transfiguration, Grand Sorcerer_

Kim frowned faintly before brushing a few strands of her red hair behind her ear. "The Crown knows?" She stopped at that and shook her head. "Of course the Crown knows..."

"Agent Hunter?" A voice asked from the dark corner of the office and she jumped just as Harding stepped into the room. "Ah... doing a bit of background reading?"

"Tom, this report suggests the Crown knows about these people." She said with a faint frown.

"Ah... you are referring to the letter from this... Mr. Dumbledore?" Harding said with a single nod. "Yes, I know about that case... I would not be surprised, as I believe the Royal Court retains a post called, 'The Queen's Wizard'. I believe, the current holder of the title is a Colonel Nimeuh, though finding him is difficult, as he is currently serving with the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, and therefore protected from our questioning."

Kim frowned. "Damn."

"There is more in that report... You note the name of Mr. Dumbledore's friend, his profession, and the address?" Harding said. "51 rue de Montmorency, Paris, France is one house long reported to be owned by Nicolas Flamel."

"Flamel?"

"Ah... you really must brush up on urban myths and legends if you're to remain with us." Harding said with a smile. "Nicolas Flamel, born 1330... Supposedly the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, master alchemist, and so forth..."

"The Philosopher's Stone... isn't that the holy grail of alchemy, a rock that can be used to make an elixir of youth and turn base metals into gold?" Hunter asked.

"Yes, I see you have been doing a bit of studying at least."

Hunter nodded. "So, he was still living in Paris after all these years, and moved to Devon? Do you know where?"

"Yes, after ten years searching. I believe we've found him." Harding said with a slight smile.

* * *

"HOLY SHITE!" Sirius stammered as he jerked back from the eyepiece of the massive telescope that was now set up in the back yard of the Granger's. Beside him Remus burst into laughter as Harry grinned.

Overhead the normally cloudy English weather had cleared, and the immense starfield of the Milky Way stretched overhead. Low in the sky the tiny red orb of Mars twinkled, and in the west Harry could see the bright twinkling light of Venus lighting up the night sky.

Sirius peered through the lens again as Remus flipped through the muggle made sky map looking rather confused. Then Sirius snorted to himself. "I can't believe this Remus, if we had telescopes like this, I might have actually passed Astronomy."

Hermione stepped over to the telescope and rubbed her hands together as Harry bent to work on the second device, assembling it piece by piece. The supplies list made it sound as if each of them were supposed to have their own telescopes, hence the second identical telescope.

Remus sighed and glanced skyward for a moment before muttering. "Mars is bright tonight."

"You're starting to sound like a ruddy Centaur, mate." Sirius said as he twisted the knob and adjusted the focus on the telescope, something that was impossible with the old fashioned devices he'd tried to get Harry to buy.

"It does seem a bit brighter than usual." Hermione said before bending over and helping Harry lift the bulk of the mirror telescope onto the stand.

"Moony, when's full moon?" Sirius asked.

"The twenty-sixth," Remus muttered. "What are you doing?"

"Looking at this... what did you call this Dan?"

"That's the Horsehead Nebula." Dan Granger said as he glanced up into the sky.

"Looks more like a bloody kelpie to me." Sirius said after a moment, and then grinned. "I'm sorry Harry, you were right. These things are brilliant compared to the ruddy models they were selling in Diagon Alley."

"Huh, Mars is bright tonight." Dan observed before walking over to help Harry finish setting up the second telescope.

Sirius just stared at the older muggle and shook his head.

* * *

_Boy-Who-Lived? Rumors and Sightings of Harry Potter_

_By Andy Smudgley_

_The events of October 31st of 1981 have become the stuff of legends. Most know the story of those events and the miracelous disappearance of You-Know-Who at the height of his powers. The story, as we have been told, is one of undeniable sacrifice. You-Know-Who, arrived at the home of James and Lily Potter, a small cottage in Godric's Hollow. There, in a duel he killed James Potter attempting to defend his one-year-old son and wife. That much is certain, but as the villain walked up the stairs to the nursery on the second floor, things become much less certain._

_The official position of the Ministry of Magic is that Harry Potter and Lily Potter were killed in a fierce battle against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, which took the villain's life as well. The truth, at least according to first hand reports is a bit less clear cut._

_The first on the scene was their family's friend, Rubeus Hagrid, current keeper of the keys and gamekeeper at Hogwarts._

_"The cottage, it was a wreck... a large hole was blas'ed outta the second floor. Bits of rubbish were scattered all 'bout. Now, mind yeh, I knew 'at the house had been under sum sorta attack... Dumbledore had set sum sorta detection ward up. I did not 'spect a ruin, mind yeh. Anyhow, I get 'ere just before Sirius Black, and he did sum detection charms. Poor lad was in tears, saying it was all 'is fault. We went inter the house, and found James straigh' away, dead. Yeh don' get used ter 'at. We went upstairs, and found Lily and... 'im. Nothing was left o' 'im but a tattered cloak, not even a wand, but... Yeh see, Harry wasn' there."_

_Since that day, Lord Black has claimed that Harry Potter survived, a position which Albus Dumbledore has come out in support of. Approximately six months ago, a rumor began after Lord Black was spotted in the company of a number of muggles and two muggleborn children in the Leaky Cauldron, that not only was Harry Potter alive, but that he has been found._

_We at the Daily Prophet must be cautious about such claims, but since rumor began there have been over three dozen sightings of a boy very similar to the appearance of the late Lord Potter in Diagon Alley in the company of Lord Black and a family of muggles. Since then we have endeavored to find out the truth._

_Our attempts to determine if the Potter vault has been active were rebuffed by Gringotts Bank, but a number of the store clerks at Diagon Alley were more than willing to speak with us. Mr. Qesem Scavior of Florish and Blotts had this to say._

_"Harry Potter, I've seen him over a dozen times now, since last September. You couldn't mistake that boy for anyone else, with the wild black hair, round glasses, and that rather wiry and small build. He looked just like James did at his age, except... except for the eyes. He has the brightest green eyes I've ever seen, much like his mother. There is one other thing... he has this scar, shaped a bit like a lightning bolt just at his hairline, a bit odd that."_

_We asked about who was around when he came in the first time._

_"Well, it's a bit strange... You see, he's always with these two muggles and this muggleborn girl. It was a bit of a shock the first time they came in the shop. They were easily the largest sale that we had that day, probably the whole week in fact. Harry, well, he seemed to be really at ease with them, more so then with Lord Black. If, what Lord Black said is correct, I'd guess they were the family that adopted him after that Halloween. They were no trouble, no trouble at all... In fact, they were probably the best customers we've ever had, always asking questions and almost always buying something. The girl, Hermione is her name, she's probably the most voracious and studious child I've ever seen in this store. I always have to ask her if she's finished reading what she bought last time... and the answer is almost always yes. The last time I saw them, well... it was just yesterday, and they both were getting their course books I think... and then some."_

_A muggleborn sister and adoptive muggle parents, we at the Daily Prophet do hope that young Harry has been well cared for, if he is truly alive and this is not some enormous prank being staged by Lord Black._

Slowly Nicolas Flamel lowered the morning Prophet to the table and stared out the window at Lyme Bay. His house sat perched atop the bluffs of the Jurassic Coast, and a slight amused smile as he thought of the humor of a fossil such as him living in such a place.

A chirp from the roost by the window sill drew his attention to the golden feathered bird sitting atop it. He smiled faintly at her. "Well Conversa, it is a beautiful morning is it not?" Nicolas said as he stood and walked over to the table beside the window laiden down with instruments and fragments of parchment. At the center of the table was a large blood red stone.

The Magnum Opus of Alchemy, the great work that had been thought to be the purpose of the science itself. The Alchemical Aurum, the Alchemists Dream, the Philosopher's Stone. The source of the Elixir of Life, a product of undeniable simplicity if one only could produce the stone.

Flamel glanced out the window again and saw his wife, Perenelle working her way through the garden. It was strange, that the woman who held his heart for the last six centuries, still held it as tightly as she had when he was a far younger and much more foolish man. Their wealth, was something of a joke for the couple. One could easily produce enough gold to flood world marketplace with knowledge of the stone. Instead, they produced wealth as they needed it, for Perenelle had learned before she had even met Flamel that wealth was not the source of happiness.

Her first two marriages had been financial, and by the time she, a young widower, had met Flamel she had grown tired of wealth and given it away to the church, commissioning sculptures and other works. He had been thirty-eight, a simple scrivener and manuscript writer when they married. The wealth she had brought opened the doors to his research into alchemy.

The world was changing, the Church's stance on witchcraft hardened with the forced conversion of Jews. Both Flamels had attended Beauxbatons in their youth, but even then there was a great deal of knowledge which had been lost to the ages. By chance, it was Nicolas's apprentice scrivener a converso, and trained in the ancient arts of the Kabbalah Ma'asit that had directed him to the secrets which created the stone.

Most thought the stone was as immortal as its creator, but Nicolas and Perenell knew the truth. A stone was consumed in the process of making gold or producing the elixir. While a single stone could produce enough elixir for ten years, and enough gold to buy a house, it was really a single use item. One had to have the knowledge to make another, and that was what Nicolas and Perenell guarded more closely than anything.

They watched the world change in their home in Paris until wizards had come for their knowledge and the stone, led by a man bent of world domination. They had fled to England and made their home on the coast.

Nicolas picked up the stone from the table and carried it to his laboratory. In his six hundred years he had studied the stone, and grown fascinated with the advances muggles had made with their chemistry. Their understanding of the elements ran deeper than the four elements he had known from Kabbalah, and as he glanced at the rather tattered periodic table on his desk a smile played across his lips.

The muggles were nothing if not thorough in their studies and slowly Nicolas had come to understand that what he had thought of as elements were types of elements. Fire was the reactant sort, earth was the metals, water was the organics, and air was the gases.

He cut a tiny slice off the blood red stone with a knife and tossed it into a crucible. He had made it his life's work to understand the stone, and now he had begun to categorize the elements within it at each stage of the process. Great energies were released as one produced the stone, and the blood red rock he held in his hand was not yet complete, and while an elxir made from the red stone would be enough to prolong one's life, its potency did not reach maximum until the final stages. The stone would turn from blood red to silver, then gold, until it reached a color akin to the white gold of platinum.

He tapped the sliver with his wand and watched it began to melt from the heat he channeled into the stone. A set of flashes came from the molten puddle as it began to shimmer and turn a silvery white, and then a golden hue.

It was at that stage that the stone produced gold, and as he watched crucible itself began to shine with a brilliant white light before it became a solid gold. The puddle of material in its center was gone, integrated into the metal.

Nicolas lowered his wand and lifted the surprisingly cold crucible up to examine it. He smiled, "Alchemical gold."

* * *

_Author's Note: Next Update is planned for Monday, July 1st, 2013. It will be the first chapter of Part II: Alchemical Gold. See you then._


	18. When Nightmares are Real

_Author's Note: I'd like to ask that those of you that are against the canon pairings to withhold judgment until Part IV (as that is when things start to really roll in terms of relationships). Some of the comments seem really quite 'anti-Weasley' in nature, which I don't think is fair to either the characters or J.K. Rowling's depiction of them. So stop PMing me with statements about it! I'm not going to change it... phew.  
_

_Also I'd like to apologize for the late-release. This chapter ended up being much more difficult to write then I anticipated. I also apologize for ze French accents zat are in zis chapter._

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part II:** Alchemical Gold

* * *

**Chapter 1:** When Nightmares are Real

* * *

Kim Hunter sighed as she sat back in the plush passenger seat of the 1989 BMW 3-Series that sat out on the side of the road. Heavy drops of rain splattered down as she took a long sip from her thermos of tea and stared at the house through the optical scope that some wizzes from the quartermaster's branch had anchored to the dash. The image that came through the light amplification lenses was distorted from the rain, and internally Agent Hunter was beginning to wonder if this was just a plain old bad plan.

How does one conduct surveillance of a wizard's home? She frowned to herself as she watched the light from one of the windows wink out, plunging the yard into darkness. Was their some sort of charms or magic that would keep her and Harding away?

The rumble of thunder rolled over the hills and Kim let out a disgusted sigh. So much of her job consisted of waiting, watching, and keeping one's mind occupied while nothing really worthwhile happened. They'd arrived hours earlier and set up shop a good mile away on a country road hidden between some trees and started watching the home. The powerful scopes they'd brought with them, along with the one inside the car itself had given them a good look at the house and it's two occupants.

If they were the Flamels, they definitely had managed to master some means to stall, or perhaps even reverse the effects of age. Neither of the two looked to be much older than their mid-fifties, and the man still had a bit of dark hair in his beard and hair. The woman's hair was just barely greying. Of course, they'd had six centuries to perfect the stone and whatever else a pair which with a source of nearly unlimited wealth did in their free time. While Kim had first thought that they had the wrong address, there were oddities that perked her curiosity.

For one thing, there was no sign of electricity being used in the home. When night fell, she'd watched as what looked like torches or gas lamps flared to life without any attendants and her thoughts turned back toward regarding the house at least with some level of suspicion.

There was a clothesline out the back as well, which had been crowded with laundry until the threat of rain had the older woman scurrying about getting the clothes inside. They'd watched them for hours, and Kim had grown bored. They were too far away for directional microphones to be of much use, especially with the roar of the ocean just beyond the house, and as long as the pair of inhabitants didn't leave the home, they had no chance of installing any listening devices.

With the last light out, Kim decided to shut her eyes for a moment. Nothing was going to happen now... not with the subjects asleep and-

A crack echoed from the direction of the house and snapped her out of her slumber. Scowling she leaned forward and peered through the scope once again.

Two figures stood before the wooden gate of the cottage, one of them clad in what looked like a cloak, and the second one was difficult to tell what he was wearing, all she could make out was the rough shape of a man holding what looked like a staff or perhaps a spear. She frowned, an icy chill running down her back.

"Tom, new arrivals... they just, I don't know how they appeared, but they're right in front of the house," Kim hissed as Agent Harding blinked his eyes and glanced over at her. "Something's happening."

* * *

It was dark, the sky now filled by dark clouds and the occasional flash of lightning. Harry frowned, the last he remembered was his head hitting a pillow until he felt a prickling sensation where the scar on his forehead would have been. It was at that moment he felt some strange heat from his stomach.

They stood before a fence in the darkness, and it took a moment for Harry to make sense of the situation as a hooded and masked figure glanced at him, impossibly close and impossibly large from his perspective. That wasn't all either, it seemed to Harry that he could see quite well in two directions but everything became blurry if he tried to focus straight ahead. His glasses were nowhere to be found either, and he could see...

He could see in the dark, far better than he thought he should. In fact, looking at the face before him, Harry thought it strange that a dull glow was leaking out from the eyes and mouth of the mask. After a few moments, Harry guessed that he was seeing the heat from the giant's body. It was then that he caught sight of a dull black mass of scales that was coiled around the shoulders of the man that seemed to disappear out of his field of vision, and despite everything he tried, he felt as though he couldn't move. He felt the cold drop of rain on his bare back and scowled in his mind.

_What's going on?_ Harry thought to himself before the giant man snapped his fingers and the immense gate before them swung open.

He felt himself shift, despite not wanting to, and heard in his mind a hissing voice complain of an empty stomach. A second later, a disembodied voice snarled. "Silence! You remember your tasks?"

A hiss of acknowledgement came from behind Harry's shoulder and his vision twisted toward the source to reveal an immense black figure clasping what looked like some sort of... spear? Well, it was like a spear but had a curved blade on the end instead of a spearhead, and the whole thing looked like it was made from some sort of craggy obsidian or volcanic glass.

And the figure, it looked downright demonic with black skin, a beard that looked like it was half composed of tentacles, and half made of some course and wiry hair, and horns... There were even claws on his hands.

What was going on? Harry thought to himself as the group stepped past the gate and a barrier of light flashed for a second before them, and then collapsed. The disembodied voice from before shouted, "Damn, you fool! That was the house's wards, hurry!"

This must be a dream... either I'm dreaming of the land of the giants, or I'm suddenly the size of a pixie. Harry thought to himself as the masked man thrust a hand toward the door of the house and a ball of brilliant flames shot from his open hand. It struck the door in the center, and a fireball exploded from the impact, setting flame to the front of the house while it blew the door off it's hinges and hurled it into the entryway of the house like it been shot from a cannon.

Shouts came from the house and Harry felt his body tighten around the masked man as he ran through the flames and snapped his fingers, sending a brilliant slash of blue magic into the next door, cutting it in two and hurling the parts into the far room. A sitting room filled with French style furniture lay beyond and Harry caught a glimpse of a figure clad in a blue nightgown scramble down the stairs, a wand clasped in her hand. The woman's eyes widened as she caught sight of the man, and she shouted in French.

Then the masked figure snapped his fingers and a scythe like blade of scarlet energy shot from his fingers. The woman screamed and dove down the stairs, barely dodging the attack. When it struck the wood paneling it looked as if some giant's sword had slashed into the wood sending splinters raining down around the woman.

_"Bombarda!"_ Another voice shouted as a door to the work room slammed open and an older man with a rather short and wild beard made of a mix of grey and black hair stood with his wand out.

The attack bounced off a shimmering gold shield that appeared between them and Harry gaped as the curse smashed into the ceiling, leaving a hole like a stone from a bombard had smashed through the plaster and wood. Stop toying with them! The disembodied voice shouted before the black blur of the demonic figure stormed into the fray, swinging his weapon. The man dodged the slash and swore in French.

"Mon dieu! Un barbazu!" He shouted.

"Nicolas!" The woman screamed before waving her wand again. _"Fléaudiable!"_

There was a bang and Harry watched as a volley of silver bolts of metal shot from her wand and slammed into the side of the creature and Harry watched it stumble back, black blood pouring from the impact points. Nicolas, as Harry guessed the man's name had to be snarled and lifted his wand toward the devil. _"Incendium Dearmo!"_

The weapon in the demonic figure's hand turned a blazing hot red as the spell connected and the creature dropped it, as it hissed in pain. Then it snarled before leaping forward and slashing with its claws toward Nicolas.

_Get the stone!_ The disembodied voice snarled once again and the masked man fired off some sort of repulsive spell that caught the woman in the nightgown and smashed her against the wall.

Perched atop the man's shoulder, Harry watched as he rushed toward a door and smashed through. Within seconds he caught sight of a table filled with instruments and what looked a lot like a chemistry set. Behind it was a roost upon which a large phoenix was perched, its wings extended into what Harry guessed was some sort of threat display. It chirped loudly and Harry felt the masked man flinch as if in disgust.

A single blood red stone sat in the middle of the table, glowing slightly in the faint light. The masked man reached for it as the French accented man shouted an order. "Conversa, prenez la pierre de la voûte!"

The masked man reached out and a dull glow enveloped the stone as it clattered over the table top and shot toward his outstretched hand. Just as it was about to land in his palm, the bird dropped onto it, grabbing it in its talons. Then both the stone and bird disappeared in a blast of golden flames.

"NOOO!"

Harry felt his scar explode in pain as the scene faded to darkness. He shot up gasping for breath and groaned as he felt his shirt stick to his back from sweat.

It was a dream... a weird vivid dream... He let out a sigh as he stumbled out of bed and to the door. Glancing around the hall he saw a dim light coming from beneath Hermione's door while he headed for the bathroom. Harry grimaced as the floor creaked before stumbling before the bathroom sink. He clicked on the light as he stared at his blurry face. His scar was an angry red like a fresh brand, and he felt it tingle faintly.

He cursed as another lancing pain ran along its length and groaned. Why now, of all time would it start hurting? It never hurt before!

"Harry?" Hermione's voice came from just outside, and Harry glanced up to see that she was clad in a nightdress and held an open book to her chest. "Are you okay?"

"Headache... nightmare." Harry said quietly as he fumbled for a Dixie cup. "I just needed a drink. Why are you still up, 'Mione?"

"Lost track of time reading..." Hermione blushed. "Honestly, are you okay?"

"I think so," Harry said as he rubbed at his scar and squinted at the reflection. "It was just a nightmare..."

* * *

Kim Hunter swore as she scrambled out of the BMW with her service pistol in hand. Tom Harding hurried after her, his pistol clasped in his hand. They ran for the door of the cottage, seeing the flames running all along the front of the house. The crash and bang of fighting continued inside as Harding slammed through the remnants of the doorway and into the home's sitting room. Smashed French furniture filled the room and Kim ducked as a violent red burst of what she guessed was magic roared past and smashed a hole in the wall. Plaster and wood splinters rained down on them as the two agents took in the scene before them.

A figure clad in black robes and a black mask decorated with Celtic patterns stood in the entryway to another room, a snake was coiled around his shoulders and he held one ungloved hand out toward the struggling form of the older woman. Glowing red light seemed to crackle from the hand and envelop the woman, holding her in place. At the same time a black creature with a tentacle beard and glowing red eyes was picking up a wicked looking glaive from the floor while pinning an older man to the wall. It looked almost like some sort of black devil.

"Where did you send the stone?" The masked figure yelled.

"You will never get it from us, you Englis' dog!" The woman snapped back. "It's out of your reac'!"

"Freeze!" Tom shouted and Kim almost rolled her eyes.

"Kill them," a hissing voice seemed to echo in the room and Kim swallowed as the masked man and the devil turned to face them.

"Oh shite!" Kim muttered before the devil charged, lifting its glaive overhead and swinging it down like an axe. Tom's pistol fired, delivering a bang that left Kim's ears ringing, and she saw the bullet strike the creature in the shoulder. It didn't slow the devil, and Kim gasped as Tom leapt back, trying to get clear of the blade.

The glaive slashed through his coat as he hurled himself out of the way, and a long blood red line ran the length of his torso as he hit the floor, a gasp of shock was ripped from his mouth as he looked up and saw the devil raising the glaive for second swing as his pistol toppled from his hands.

Kim swore, bringing her gun to bear on the devil and squeezed the trigger. The devil staggered as the round struck the figure in the center of his chest and she snarled before firing again. It stumbled from the impact but didn't go down, and Kim fired again and again sending her entire magazine into the creature' walking the rounds up until the last shot struck the devil in the forehead, snapping it back. The gun's slide locked back and she stared.

With an inhuman howl the devil toppled and suddenly seemed to dissolve into black smoke.

"Impossible..." The man in black said as he pulled a wand from his robes. "A mere muggle?"

There was that word again, and Kim growled to herself as she fumbled for the spare magazine, before ducking down behind the sofa as the man lifted his wand toward her. Then came a shout, and Kim hunkered down behind the sofa.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

A green blast of light roared from the tip of the man's wand and slammed into the couch which Kim was using for cover. A second later it exploded like a bomb, hurtling her through the air and slamming her into the wall as fragments of its wooden frame pelted her and she felt splinters tear through her blouse, coat, and trousers. The room spun for a moment as she slumped back to the ground and groaned.

"Enough! Where is the stone?" The disembodied voice seemed to hiss through the air and Kim blinked away the darkness that was beginning to engulf her vision. There was a choking sound and Kim saw the greying haired woman lift into the air once again. "Where is the stone Flamel?"

The demand ended with a serpentine hiss and Kim blinked as she saw the snake that was coiled on the masked figure glare at Flamel and taste the air.

"You will never get it..." The man snarled. "Even if I told you, you would never—"

"It's in Gringott's isn't it?" The voice hissed again, and Kim wondered if the voice was in her mind... as she couldn't see anyone's lips move. "Which vault?"

_Gringotts? What was Gringotts?_ Kim's mind was still running despite the abuse and she heard the man choking back an answer as she glanced down at her hand. It took her a moment to realize that her service pistol was still clasped in her hand. Her muscles ached in protest as she lifted the gun shakily toward the figure.

"Sss-seven-'undred-and-zirteen," The man wheezed out as Kim slowly shut one eye and focused on lining up the sights.

"Thank you. Now finish him."

_"Avada Kedavra!" _The figure snapped and a brilliant green blast of light shot from his wand. A golden burst of flames erupted between the spell and the man as she watched. A golden bird appeared before the older man and caught the spell. It burst into flames and ash before dropping to the ground.

Kim steadied her hand, biting her lip as she lined up the sight. Then she slowly squeezed the trigger.

The bang of the gun echoed in the room and Kim swallowed as the round thumped into the drywall a few inches to the left of the man's head. The masked figure's eyes grew wide as he spun toward her and she swallowed as a red crackling blade of magic swept through the air toward her. She slumped to the side as the energy gouged through the wall over her head.

She bit her lip and adjusted her sights before squeezing off two more rounds. One round struck the man in the shoulder, and he spun for a second before disappearing with a crack.

The adrenaline began to fade and she felt the pistol slip from her grasp. The room spun, and then everything went black.

* * *

Quirrel staggered as he finished the apparition, his master still coiled around his shoulder. His shoulder screamed in pain where the muggle weapon had struck him and he glared at the snake sitting upon his shoulder, hissing as if in laughter. By sheer luck the round had missed his master and grazed him instead.

He tore at his robes and grimaced as he caught sight of the torn flesh. His mind tried desperately to analyze what had happened. It was a gun, a muggle fire-leg or whatever it was that had done this to him, even with the power of a demon at his command the muggle weapon had struck him, it had even dispatched his master's servant, the Barbazu.

_How could muggles wield such power?_

The snake slid over to his other shoulder and he heard his master's voice once again. "You no doubt know of the bow and arrow... professor? The simple weapon favored by centaurs and even the ancient peoples of this isle? Then let me explain to you what you have been struck with. A bow launches an arrow with a speed at most of around three hundred feet per second. A muggle firearm launches a hunk of lead at over a thousand feet per second. You are fortunate the round only grazed your shoulder... if it had hit directly, it could have shattered your shoulder blade, torn apart arteries, or done other potentially lethal damage."

"A muggle can do such damage?" Quirrel muttered under his breath as he tapped his shoulder and watched it begin to sew itself shut. "What now master?"

"What else? We head to Gringotts and grab the stone before Flamel can have it moved once more." The snake hissed.

* * *

Her head swum and she could hear whispered voices in the back of her consciousness. Shouted words that made no sense, swearing in French and English, and then she could hear the crackling of flames. A flash of pain from her calf jolted her eyes open and she stared up into the pale face of the woman with long greying hair. In her hand was a splinter as long as a knife covered in blood. In the other hand was a wand pointed toward her calf.

"J'ai mis le feu et a appelé les Aurors," The voice of the man stated as Kim twisted to look at the bushy haired man now bending down beside her. "Comment est-elle?"

"Elle est bien, mais il n'y avait rien que je pouvais faire pour son partenaire," The woman hastily answered. "Je ne pouvais pas fermer la plaie infernal. Il est mort." Her wand tip touched Kim's calf where she'd just removed a splinter and she whispered, _"Vulnera."_

Kim groaned as a tingle ran over wound and she felt it seal shut. A second later the woman bent down, as if suddenly realizing she was awake. "Your name?"

"Agent Kim Hunter," She gasped out. "MI5, Security Service..."

"Nick, w'at about ze obliviators and zis woman? She is a government worker not just some civilian," The woman asked. "S'e deserves to remember w'at 'appened, and wit' 'er partner dead ze government will start asking questions."

"It would not matter to zem. We 'ide 'er, take 'er down to ze cave will you? I'll tell ze Aurors we obliviate 'er and let 'er loose, and zat you need some time to get over w'at 'appened alone," Nicolas said. "W'at about Albus?"

"I'll leave zat up to you, Nicolas. 'E's your partner zis century, not mine," The woman said before glancing down at her. "Can you stand?"

Kim swallowed and slowly sat upright. "Maybe... I'll need a hand."

"And you s'all 'ave it," The woman said as she pulled her to her feet. "Perenelle Flamel."

Her eyes widened slightly and she gave a faint nod, they'd been right. These were the Flamels, if the battle and screaming over the stone hadn't been enough confirmation. The names seemed to confirm it beyond any doubt. Kim groaned as she was lead out the back door of the small cottage and out along a path that wound down the black Jurassic cliffs. The rumble of distant thunder was drowned out by the sound of the ocean beating against the rocks below. After what must have been twenty minutes wandering along the curving path with Perenelle holding her wand and using it like a torch, they arrived at the entrance to a dark cave.

A granite stone glowed faintly as Perenelle touched it and suddenly the back wall of the cave seemed to melt away, revealing a far deeper cave that's ceiling flickered with golden light. A set of tables and chairs filled the large center cavern and a blast of heat from the interior made Kim swallow nervously. Glancing upward she watched as lights like fireflies danced around the ceiling, disappearing into little boxy shapes that she guessed was some sort of container.

"Your Englis' wizards call zem faerie lights," Perenelle said from beside her. "Come, I'm sure you 'ave questions, and Nicolas will no doubt be razzer busy for a w'ile."

Perenelle pulled out a seat and helped her into the chair before sitting across from her on the table. As she sat, Kim gaped as she caught sight of a large fossil peeking out of the wall behind Perenelle. It looked to be some sort of reptilian fish, but within moments her attention was drawn back to the woman.

"Are you really the Flamels, the pair that made the philosopher's stone and all that?" Kim asked quietly.

She nodded and Kim swallowed a lump in her throat. "What happened to Tom, my partner?"

"Zere was nozzing we could do for 'im... the glaive of a Barbazu delivers an infernal wound, ze means of sealing it 'ave been lost to time as no one 'as reported seeing one since our early years. Ze secret of zeir summoning and control 'as been 'idden, at least until now," Perenelle frowned. "I am sorry for your loss, but zere was nozzing we could do. Even ze Elixir of Life would not 'ave been enoug'. I am sorry."

"Damn," Kim hissed. "What was that thing?"

"It was a Barbazu, a... 'Bearded Devil' I believe would be ze closest translation. A creature of bloodlust and rage summoned by a dark wizard, it 'as been 'undreds of years since one was reported," Perenelle said.

"What about the voice, the one that seemed to go right into my brain. What was that?"

Perenelle's face grew pale and she slowly shook her head. "I do not know."

* * *

Nicolas Flamel grimaced as he glanced around his foyer at the blood stains from where the muggle had bled out. Both of their weapons lay on the floor where they'd been dropped and tentatively he picked up the one which had been the girls. Carefully he examined it, chewing his lip until he found a button marked 'safety' and pressed it. Hoping the muggles had some sort of means to insure it did not go off accidentally he set the device on the table before picking a bowl from his kitchen and scooping the ashes and tiny form of Conversa into it, before settling the tiny phoenix on the table.

The crack of apparition echoed from outside and a moment later two figures clad in auror robes rushed through the smoldering remains of the doorway. One was a woman that Nicolas immediately thought far too young to be an aurora. Her bright pink hair looked natural enough that he guessed it was the result of either a potion or magic, as muggle dye still lagged far behind what was possible in the wizarding world. She was clad in a rather muggle fashion, complete with worn looking jeans, a t-shirt, and trainers. She wore a long coat over the top of those clothes, of a sort that was popular with aurors for its ability to conceal items so easily with.

The second was a scarred man with a cobalt blue magical eye strapped to his face, and a wooden limb peeking out from beneath his robe. His nose looked as if some of it had been shaved off by an errant spell, and dozens of scars filled every visible part of his body. His thin red hair was rapidly balding and greying, almost as he watched.

"Clear!" The woman said after a long moment, and lowered her wand a bit as she turned toward Nicolas.

"Keep that wand at the ready, lass," The man stated before glancing down at the body on the floor. "All right, what happened here?"

"Some dark wizard stormed my 'ouse, looking for ze Stone. My phoenix got it out of ze 'ouse, and zen a pair of muggle policemen stormed in. Zey fought off the wizard, but not before he did zat to the man. We obliviated 'is partner and sent 'er on ze way," Nicolas said.

"Why didn't your muggle repelling spells stop them, eh?" The man snapped.

"I do not use zem, it makes it difficult to get ze muggle papers," Nicolas explained.

"Tonks?" The man snapped.

The woman nodded and bent down over the man, her eyes grimacing as she pulled the ID that Nicolas and Perenelle had pulled out earlier. She flipped it open and immediately froze. "You must be kidding me."

"What?"

"He's bloody MI5!" Tonks snapped back.

"Who?" The man asked in turn and Tonks let out a groan.

"He's part of the muggle security service. You know, counter-intelligence, counter-espionage type guys?" Tonk said briskly before putting a hand to her temple and groaning. "If Auror's are like detectives then this man is like... a muggle Unspeakable, no... That's not right. We don't even have a group like them. This is bad!"

The scarred man harrumphed at that. "How?"

"If they were here, it means they were watching this house. It means these muggles knew about wizards!" The girl, which Flamel guessed was called Tonks from the exchange, snapped back.

"If zey weren't 'ere, I very well could be dead," Nicolas stated flatly. "Auror..."

"Tonks," The girl said as she glanced around the floor before her eyes focused on the black mark and bloody glaive which sat just before the muggle's body. "Blimey."

"Nicolas Flamel," Nicolas said before glancing at the second Auror.

"Alastor Moody," The man grunted. "You really that old fossil, you don't look a day over sixty!"

"I am... ze Elixir of Life, w'en taken regularly rolls back ze clock quite some time," Flamel said with a faint smirk. "Perenelle is down by the cave, recovering from the shock of this attack."

"So, who attacked you?" Moody snapped.

"I don't know... Ze man wore a cloak and mask, muc' like ze old Death Eaters," Flamel shrugged his shoulders. "E broug't a Barbazu wiz 'im. W'at is left of it is zat black mark on the floor."

"We'll want a full disposition," Moody stated.

With a burst of flames Albus Dumbledore appeared hanging from his phoenix in the foyer. If the old man was surprised by the wreckage, he didn't show it. Instead he simply frowned as Nicolas locked eyes with him and gave the man a faint nod.

"Alastor, if you could give me and Nicolas a few minutes alone?" Albus said quietly.

"Fine..." Alastor grumbled.

"We'll be just in the other room," Albus said as he led Nicolas into the kitchen. When the door shut Nicolas took a deep breath while Albus put up a couple privacy charms.

As Albus turned around Nicolas started. "Albus... It was 'im, you know w'o I mean. 'E's not in 'uman form, not yet... but 'e's got a new servant, and 'e... 'e broug't a Barbazu! Damn it Albus, we'd boz 'ave died if ze muggles 'adn't showed up."

"Are... are you certain?" Albus asked.

"I am, 'e knows w'ere ze stone is, too Albus. I need to move it out of Gringotts," Nicolas said with a growl.

"I can do that, with your permission," Albus suggested.

"Zank you," Nicolas said with a visible sigh of relief.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks chewed her lip as she rolled a pair of cartridge casings in her hand. With a scowl she glanced at the bullet holes in the door frame and plucked out her wand. With a quick summoning charm she pulled a set of lead slugs from the wall. As they clattered to the ground Alastor spun, his wand half-way through the start of a curse before he stopped.

Tonks picked up the flattened rounds from the floor and rolled them gingerly in her hands before scowling. "Something's changed..."

"Don't talk like you know what's going on, kid. You don't," Moody said.

"Neither do you," Tonks grumbled. "Why would MI5 be watching the Flamels?"


	19. Two Old Fossils Speak

_Author's Note: Another month, another chapter. I should note that with increasing demands on my time, my already infrequent appearances on fanfiction will become even more infrequent. I just released my first book for my original series, A Fox's Tale: The Warden's Daughter on Kindle Direct Publishing. It's going through the review process right now, but once it's done reviewing you can get the 55,000 word novel for 3.95 USD, I also set prices for every other country that gets KDP stuff, but don't recall the price off the top of my head. My current plans make that book one of a twelve book series (Yes, twelve books!)  
_

_If you liked this, you'll probably really enjoy that. It's a framed story, so brace yourself, it's also heavily based on German culture (Weissdale, Dreipasse, Weisswasser, and Kurtz Pass are some of the locations) mythology (kobolds… and I use both spellings: kobold and kobolt, the Dark Woods, and a wolf named Schwartz). Unlike most fantasy tales it's set in a Renaissance style world not a medieval one. It's cool, so go get it… maybe it'll be out by the time this is posted._

_I plan to have it available for free for a week (I signed up with KDP select, so I can do that as a promotion). My sister is an aspiring artist, so she made the cover._

_Anyway, I realized that I threw out a number of different creature names in this chapter, and I'll be including a section at the end which lists them and what they are. Also I mentioned that there are a number of different and additional classes at Hogwarts. Most of these are canon (from the games and films anyway) but weren't mentioned in the books.  
_

_But you'll get to see them once we get there (We'll be at Hogwarts in two or three chapters I think).  
_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, as such all rights, royalties, characters, and settings belong to her._

* * *

**One World**

* * *

**Part II:** Alchemical Gold

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Two Old Fossils Speak

* * *

Kim Hunter sat at the table as Perenelle Flamel settled opposite her. A second later a small creature that was about two feet high appeared beside the table in a flash of brilliant blue flames. Instead of a human face its head was long and reptilian like a dinosaur and fleshy tendrils hung from under its chin and above its lips like an Asian style mustache. Two pointed bat like ears peeked out from the blue cap it had fastened tightly to its head. The creature was clad in a loose tunic that appeared to be made from canvas and wore heavy pants. Around it's waist it had a rope wrapped like a belt and a number of mining tools hung loosely at its side. Two reptilian three toed feet stuck from the pants legs and Kim saw a long and flexible tail pointed out from the creature's waist band.

"Wux tepoha vi fevek?" The creature asked Perenelle who smiled.

She answered in the same tongue, "Axun, tiliw wux dronilnr udoka creol achthend, danthe thurirl?"

The creature bowed and disappeared with a flash of brilliant blue flames. When he was gone Perenelle nodded to Kim. "Jannu iz a Blue Cap, a creature similar to ze Scottish Brownie, English House Elf, and Germanic Kobold. 'E iz the eldest of 'is clan and c'ief of ze tribe which 'az made ze deeper part of zis cavern zeir 'ome."

"Never heard of them," Kim said with a shrug before the creature reappeared carrying a tray loaden down with various foodstuffs and set it down on the table. Then Jannu disappeared in another flash of blue flames.

"I apologize. I am more used to explaining zem to other wizards." She said before giving a slight shake of her head. "Ze Blue Caps are a race which prefers ze life of mining. We 'ave an agreement wiz zem, as the land above zeir 'ome belongs to us, we give zem protection, and any unusual items zey discover are brought to us."

"I see." Kim said quietly, not really understanding. She wondered what laws would apply to creatures that were clearly sapient but not human. Then she flinched as she realized just how many possible creatures could be out there considering the myths, were they citizens? Were they something less? It was something that had only occasionally been tackled by philosophical sorts, and that had been debates on what rights a

Chimpanzee or Gorilla should hold.

This Jannu was clearly a creature that was well beyond fashioning tools with a twig.

"It seems to puzzle you?" Perenelle observed a few moments later.

"I was just wondering about... well, legal things. Is he a citizen?" Kim asked quietly.

Perenelle actually smiled at that. "Yes, well... zat brings up a 'ost of issues. I take it zat you do not know much about ze magical government, eh?"

Kim shook her head. "There's a magical government?"

"Yes, zere is, my dear. Zere are many, in fact, zough some are not truly seperate. Ze United States manages its magicals zrough ze Department of Occult Studies. It was formed as a research group but soon evolved into a magical law enforcement system. In ze United Kingdom, ze Ministry of Magic is ze law enforcement institution. It was ze first English Ministry, created in 1674 during ze rule of Charles the Second. During zis time a growing movement in ze magical community zat proposed separation from ze muggle world took power. Fear of the Protestant Cromwell had driven much of ze English Wizards underground before the creation of ze Ministry of Magic, and soon they began to network with other magical communities."

She took a deep breath. "In 1689 ze first meeting of representatives of wizards from around ze world took place in London. Nicolas and I were chosen as representatives from France, as was Pierre Bonaccord. We were voting on ze creation of an International Confederation, somezing zat would 'ave been called treason in zose days. Pierre Bonaccord was sworn in as our leader, and the International Confederation of Wizards was born. If we 'ad known what would 'appen as a result, we would have opposed its formation quite vocally."

Perenelle sighed. "I did not wish for ze Wizarding World to be 'idden from sight. Nicolas and I knew, zat zeir views were changings. We would surely 'ave been accepted in time, but zey did not see it zat way."

"In 1692, ze International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was officially established by declaration of ze International Confederation of Wizards. Everyone went into 'idding, wards were crafted to keep non-magicals out, and all evidence of our existence waz erased." She shook her head sadly. "Now, nearly three hundred years later Nicolas and I can see ze damage. Separation 'as made ze wizarding community fall behind. Only in places like Australia and America where zose of less privileged descent and greater transmission of ideas between ze magical and mundane 'ave the wizards even maintained a working understanding of zere non-magical neighbors. Wizards zink zey are powerful and zat no mundane could ever 'old an advantage over zem, but zen zey do not know ze power mundanes 'ave 'arnessed with zere technology."

Kim wished she'd had a tape recorder and had pulled out a small notepad and scribbled notes as the woman had talked. When she finished, Kim stared at her notes for a long moment. "So... you've been keeping up with, umm... our world."

"Yes, zere is actually much more interaction zan you might zink," She smiled at her. "Ze World Wars, for one, played out much ze same on ze magical side as zey did on the muggle. A Dark Wizard named Grindelwald rose to power in ze early 1900s in Germany, and 'e encouraged ze Kaiser. When ze war began zanks to a bit of bad luck in Serbia, ze wizards fought as well. Ze battles may not 'ave been in ze trenches, but zey were just as bloody and just as long. Unfortunately, Grindelwald escaped capture and 'elped Adolf 'itler, rise to power years later. 'Is men came after us when 'itler took Paris, we escaped in part zanks to the appearance of some British muggles."

Kim blinked and smiled slightly. "I actually saw that report, there are a number of odd occurrences my... section of MI5 keeps track of."

"Yes, while Grindlewald 'imself was not zat much a student of Alchemy, a number of muggle scientists in Germany were eager to experiment with a Philosopher's Stone, and getting us... well, zat would be a real advantage. Unfortunately, one of ze raids of our old 'omes resulted in zem discovering some research materials. Zey used ze materials in ze 'Bell' experiments and succeeded at producing some alchemical compounds. When ze war finally ended, ze soviets got ze materials and used it to produce what zey call, 'red mercury'." Perenelle shook her head. "Nicolas is most distressed by zat, as ze material is a form of magical capacitor which ze soviets managed to harness as a detonator for nuclear weapons."

Kim gaped, she was familiar with red mercury as already INTERPOL and a number of other agencies had put out orders to intercept Russian smuggling of the material. That it was alchemical and magical was something of a shock to her.

"You 'ave 'eard of it zen?" Perenelle said quietly. "I am not surprised if you are part of MI-5. You would 'ave been among ze ones to stop its spread."

"Yes..." She frowned to herself. "What else is going on? The Security Service noticed a big uptick in activity in the seventies, and then it just stopped in eighty-one."

Perenelle frowned. "I know what you speak of. Zere was a war in magical Britain, a wizard by ze name of Lord Voldemort waged a campaign of terror against ze magical government. I am not certain of ze exact numbers but many wizards died, and ze muggles were not left unscaved as well. Fortunately, or... unfortunately, ze muggles 'ave terrorists of zere own to deal with and many of ze attacks by Voldemort and 'is supporters against muggles were covered up. Voldemort was also smart enough to keep 'is followers from attacking armed muggles, 'e knows of ze power of muggle arms."

"What happened?"

"On all Hallow's Eve in 1981, Voldemort attacked a family named ze Potters, all but a baby named 'Arry were killed. Somehow, ze curse 'e used on 'Arry rebounded and struck ze Dark Wizard. Most say 'e is dead, but most thought zat Harry died as well. I zink the man zat attacked us was ze Dark Wizard. No one else 'as ze wealth of knowledge to summon a Barbazu, zat we know of. Either way, zere is a new darkness rising in the Magical World."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore pursed his lips in thought as his old friend slipped out of the house. He glanced over at Tonks, who was shaking her head as she stared at the identification in her hand. The metamorphmagus was muttering under her breath as the first hint of daylight began to appear out the windows.

"Albus, will you tell her to shut up? The dealings of muggles are not of our concern." Mad-Eye Moody growled from the corner of the room. "I hope that unspeakable gets here soon, I still can't identify the magical signature from that mark." He pointed his wand toward a blackened scorch on the floor beside a set of brass cylinders.

Albus chuckled to himself before stepping up to Tonks. "Now, Nymphadora... what has you so concerned?"

The Auror Cadet glared at him for a moment before shoving the identification she held into his hands. "This is the ID of the muggle that died. It shows he was part of MI-5, which-"

"Is the muggle counter-intelligence and surveillance agency for the United Kingdom." Albus said quietly before pulling a sherbet lemon from his pocket and starting to suckle on it. He hummed to himself as Mad-Eye gave him a look of shock. "I had some dealings with them during the Second Grindelwald War, as they were far better at getting information on the Germans then our people were."

Tonks's eyes widened at that and her hair paled slightly. "I had no idea you dealt with muggles so much."

"Oh yes, it was vital in Grindelwald's defeat. In fact there is a monument in Hogwarts about his defeat. It lists the graduates that participated as well as the muggles who made it possible." He sighed. "Sadly, the school's governors insisted it be placed in one of the least used portions of the school. You may never have seen it while you were there."

Tonks frowned. "Wait is it in the East Wing, past the greenhouses where nobody goes?"

"Yes, it is..."

"Charlie told me there was a 'great ruddy muggle made metal behemoth' over there." Tonks said.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, it is that... the memorial features a tank from the battle. I believe the Germans called it an armored battle wagon, and it has a statue of me and Gellert locked in battle atop it. It is an amazing rendition, but even then it only can hint of the duel we fought. You cannot imagine it, explosions and fire from muggle weapons and a legion of Nachtkrappen, Nachtzehreren, and Kofewalten scurrying amongst the ruins of Nuremberg like rats while Grindelwald and I fought a running battle for four days." He shook his head. "It was a long struggle, but ultimately when it was clear that Gellert was finally beaten and I held his wand to him, he surrendered. I placed him in Nurmengard, in the vary fortress he had constructed as a prison for his enemies, while the muggle allies brought the worst of the those whom he had plotted with together and Nuremberg and charged them with crimes against humanity itself."

Dumbledore let out a long sigh and shook his head before glancing out the window. "It is July 30th, isn't it?"

"Aye, that it is." Mad-Eye said. "So, what should we do about this muggle lot watching the Flamels?"

Dumbledore glanced back at the id in his hands. "I will speak with Nicolas. He has always been one to have close associations with muggles. Perhaps I can tempt him to spend some time away from this house." He handed the ID back to Tonks. "Tomorrow is Mr. Potter's eleventh birthday. Perhaps you should remind your cousin."

"I'm sure Harry's dogfather remembers." Tonks said with a smile.

Albus nodded before stepping out the door. "I must be off."

As Albus walked out of the house his mind turned back toward the problem of the stone. Whoever had made an attempt would surely try again. He would have to have it removed soon from the Gringotts vault. As safe as it was there, it needed to be kept where he could keep a watch on it, and perhaps catch the wizard who had assault his friends.

There was nothing for it. He would have to bring it to the safest place in Britain... Hogwarts.

* * *

Hours later, Kim Hunter still sat in the cave while Nicolas Flamel sat a large stack of books onto the table. He gave her an amused smile before settling down beside his wife and pulling a pipe from his jacket. A moment later, he lit up and Kim grimaced at the rather sweet smelling smoke that came from the man.

"Smoking can kill you, you know." She muttered under her breath and Nicolas chuckled.

"Yes, yes... I am well aware of ze dangers, and dear Perenelle 'as long been after me to quit," He lowered his pipe. "Fortunately, a charm or two I know can clear ze lungs so that I am undamaged."

Kim Hunter rubbed her forehead as she stared at the small pile of books and their rather dusty looking covers. Frowning she plucked one from the top.

An Introduction to the Magical World, it proclaimed in loud type and she arched an eyebrow. "Okay... Why does this thing look like it was from Gutenberg's time?"

Nicolas snorted. "I remember Johannes, 'e was such a braggart, it was no wonder he was sacked."

Perenelle smiled at that and shook her head. "Yes, zat was after we staged our first death. We were traveling around trying to decide what to do with our immortality when you met 'im. Who knew zat 'is ideas would take off so."

"So... why does this look like it was made so long ago?" Kim asked again.

Perenelle shrugged. "Ze printers in Magical England are quite old fashioned. It could well 'ave been made on an old press... zough it waz more likely made by a charmed steam press, no one in Magical England 'as computers or industrial presses."

Kim nodded and flipped open the book and started to read. What she found set her teeth on edge. These people, not the Flamels but... this Ministry made her shudder in distaste. Sure the book seemed to have a positive spin on it, but reading between the lines made Kim angry. There were wars, revolts, and cases of persecution that stood out to her as clear as day. Sure, she wasn't too sure if werewolves were evil or goblins for that matter, but there were some things in the book that certainly sounded evil to her. The Dementors that guarded Azkaban for one thing were truly evil, and from their description they sounded artificial. Someone somewhere had conjured, bred, or somehow summoned them. If she was in charge, she'd be researching ways to destroy them.

Then there were the entries that left her gaping, a list of magical creatures native to the United Kingdom. It had been divided up into four distinct groups, after the author noted that his description of the groups didn't match up to the Ministry of Magic's description of the groups and instead used a muggle methodology, where it also explained that Vampires and Werewolves were not listed as they were both humans afflicted by what could be described as a magical disease.

It classified creatures as sapient, sentient, semi-sentient, and non-sentient. Sapient beings were those of human level intelligence and capable of communicating, in short they were capable of thought and judgment. Sentient creatures were those capable of understanding subjectivity, cause and effect, and feelings. Most intelligent mammals would be classified as sentient. Semi-sentient creatures were an intermediate sort. They represented trainable but less intelligent creatures. Non-sentient were simply creatures that acted exclusively on their instincts.

To clarify, the book put it this way. A Human is sapient, a dog is sentient, a horse is semi-sentient, and a shark is non-sentient.

The sheer number of entries under sapient life had completely stunned her, the sapient creatures. Sure she had expected perhaps the goblins, merfolk, and maybe giants... but the list went on. There were Bluecaps and Knockers, Drow and Sith, Centaurs and Selkies. Some of them were groups she'd never even heard of and hurriedly flipped to read some of the entries.

The Drow was another oddity. It turned out they were a race of nocturnal elves native to the Shetland and Orkney Isles with an odd habit of abducting musicians. Apparently a wizarding rock band had been taken for three days just a few years back. The Ministry had attempted a rescue which ended when the hit-wizards mutinied after being beaten back by a force of trained Dragons, Acromantula, and spell-casting Drow.

The entry on Goblins had a number of other interesting bits of information, discussing the nature of Gringotts and its unique position in the Wizarding World. Still, entry after entry made Kim more unnerved by the actions of the Ministry of Magic. Moreover, she wondered how it was connected to the muggle government, if at all. Was it operating under some ancient royal agreement that no-one knew about now, or what?

Some of the entries were amusing. Who would have thought that Tolkien's hobbits would actually be named Sith, or that the half-lings would live in Scotland, Ireland, and Newfoundland? Others weren't so much fun. Kim was steaming when she read about House-elves and their enslavement.

By the time she had finished hours had passed and she looked up at her hosts as they set out a lunch before her, with the help of the small blue-fire creature.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore hummed to himself as he walked through the gates of Hogwarts and wandered up the road to the castle. As it was the middle of the summer, no-one save for the staff and teams of construction crews were present at the school. As he walked, he pondered how best to protect the stone, while at the same time turning the protections into a trap. A smile slowly played across his lips.

An escalating series of challenges to delay the thief would probably be the best course, with a single final layer of protection to prevent the stone from falling into the thief's hands. The challenges would delay the thief, allowing him and the rest of the staff to move to trap the thief. Each of the staff could certainly come up with a means of delaying any attempt on the stone.

Already, Dumbledore decided to have Hagrid be the one to retrieve the stone. He was loyal, and his appearance alone intimidated most people. Plus, his role as gamekeeper was general enough that no one would raise an eyebrow at him being in Gringotts on Hogwarts business.

That business settled in his mind, he began to focus once again on the school. The new funds had been put to great effect, and Flitwick had been downright ecstatic at the new facilities he had for his Charm's club. Sadly, Minerva was far too busy working as Deputy Headmaster, Head of Gryffindor House, and teaching Transfiguration to really supervise a Transfiguration club. Severus would rather give fifty points to Gryffindor then spend any single extra moment watching over a potions club made up of 'dunderheads'. Binns was so engrained in his habits that the idea of convincing the ghost to start a history club was laughable as well. No, in order to provide more clubs for the students he would have to add staff.

Already there were Art Clubs, an Astronomy Club, Charms Club, Gobstones Club, Magical Creatures Club, a Rat Racing Club, Slugs and Bugs Club, and a Wizard Card Collecting Club. Dumbledore felt that expanding the list with some official clubs sponsored by the Professors would be a good way to improve the education of the students.

A club for each of the main subjects of Hogwarts made the most sense, and while Flitwick was already running one such club, the subjects of Defense, Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, and History didn't have any such club. He knew that Severus wouldn't be easily convinced to run a Potions club, Minerva was far too busy, Binns would ignore any change to his habits, and Quirrel would just be beginning his work teaching. At least Sprout would be happy to sponsor a Herbology club.

In addition to the core classes and electives there were a number of 'extra-curricular' classes offered at the school. There was Ancient Studies, Art, Choir, Ghoul Studies, Orchestra, Muggle Art, Muggle Music, Music, and Xylomancy. That wasn't all either. There were the Apparition and Flying lessons, select classes like Advanced Arithmancy Studies, and Dumbledore himself offered Alchemy and Magical Theory as NEWT level electives.

He had long considered adding a few others as well… evoking, enchanting, warding, wandlore, and bardic magic had all been offered as classes at some time in history. Sadly, those tended to be taught now by apprenticeship, save bardic magic and evoking which had become something of a lost art. Now at last, he had the funds to properly equip sponsored clubs and expand the available classes to the students. He just needed to find the right teachers.

Plucking a sherbet lemon from his pocket, Dumbledore thought about possible solutions. He considered for a moment sponsoring the Transfiguration club himself, and was sorely tempted at the opportunity to interact directly with students once again. Then, a thought occurred to him.

Nicolas would surely prefer to be near the stone, perhaps he could be encouraged to come to Hogwarts and run a club or two. Dumbledore knew his old friend was quite capable of teaching Potions, and would probably be willing to run a club for Alchemy. Then there was Perenelle, the woman had chosen a number of unusual fields of study. According to Nicolas she had a mastery in Herbology, not to mention a number of other degrees in the sciences from the University of Paris, each earned at a different time under a different name. The woman could easily run any manner of club at Hogwarts. Perhaps History would be best, as she was older then the ghost Binns and certainly had a unique perspective on History itself. He was a bit uncertain of her skills with a wand, so was hesitant to offer a position to her in another club.

As he walked through the double doors and headed toward the staffroom, Dumbledore marveled at the improvements. The old unused classrooms were being cleared and prepared for any manner of use. He sucked on the candy in his mouth for a moment before stepping inside the staffroom.

Flitwick was already there, humming to himself. The charm's professor had busied himself with helping the renovations and as Dumbledore approached he looked up from a large blueprint of the castle was spread out over the table. "Albus."

"Filius, I take it you have been busy assisting the renovators?" Albus observed. "The extra-curricular classrooms are coming along?"

"Oh yes, choir room and orchestra room are almost done. All that's left is a bit of silencing spells I'll be applying later so that we don't disturb anyone as we practice." Filius said with a bright smile. "Miss Burbage has made herself at home in the Muggle Music classroom. Have you found someone for the general Music class?"

"Perhaps, I was considering a number of applicants." Albus said with a shrug. Then a smile slowly slid across his lips. "The most interesting was from the Orkney Isles. I was considering Mayaffyn Oussghym. Fortunately the Board of Governors does not need to approve of those taking extra-curricular posts."

Filius blinked for a long moment. "Miss Oussghym isn't a name I am familiar with, and considering Minerva and I have taught almost every adult wizard in Britain..."

Albus's eyes twinkled with mischief at those words. "I believe you will like her Filius, though I expect the governors will have a fit." He chuckled to himself. "Hagrid will be overjoyed."

Filius shrugged.

"She contacted me as soon as she heard that there were openings for a music teacher here, and when I interviewed her she claimed to be a practitioner of old bardic magic. I must admit I was quite surprised, and I did not expect word of our need to get to the Shetland Isles." Albus shrugged. "Perhaps it was because I mentioned it in an article about Hogwart's renovations."

"I look forward to meeting her." Filius said after a moment. "Any other surprising appointments?"

"Yes well, I believe I may be able to convince some old friends to join the staff for a History and Potions club." Albus said. "Unfortunately, there is also something else I must discuss with the staff. I will have a meeting tonight to deal with security for an item that will be arriving shortly."

"I see... Should I make sure the renovators do not deal with a section of the school?" Filius asked.

"I am afraid we'll have to reserve the third floor corridor on the right side." Albus said before tapping the schematic. "I believe there is an access to the underground chambers there. I'll want you, Minerva, Severus, Quirrel, Pomona, and Hagrid to provide enchantments for the protection of the item. I will add a final layer of security as well."

"Albus, what are we protecting?" Filius asked quietly, his voice squeaky. "Is it dangerous?"

"Why, Filius, Nicolas asked me to protect his stone." Albus said and watched the small professor's eyes go wide with shock.

* * *

_Author's Note: Here are the different creatures I listed, and a more detailed description of the source from which they come from._

_Also, bonus points to anyone that can guess whom or what Mayaffyn Oussghym is, and why Hagrid would be thrilled she was at the school. I left a number of clues, but they're pretty obscure ones._

_**KOBOLDS:**_

_I've got lots of Kobolds… as they are a major piece of European Mythology, and especially German Mythology. I have two examples of them mentioned in the chapter, but I guess I should fully explain them. Kobolds are almost a catch all term (much like Elves, Fey, and Faeries). Some are mischievous thieves that steal tools and set traps in mines, others are domestic servants who act much like House-Elves. There are traditions of seafaring kobolds that work on ships, some that are impish tricksters, and even traditions of them being beings of flame and light._

_**Bluecap**__ – Kobolds native to the British Isles that are gifted with elemental fire magic, and are capable of traveling by fire (like a phoenix), summon flames, or transform themselves into a being of pure fire. Oddly their flames tend to be blue._

_**Draches or Drake –**__ A kobold gifted with an elemental affinity with fire, which they can use as a source of magical power. They are arguably the most powerful form of kobold, capable of transforming into a small flaming serpent and essentially flying as a tongue of flame. The most powerful of which can disguise themselves as a normal man, animal, or transform into a living flame._

_**Heinzelmännchen **__– A clan of kobolds that took over the running a Cologne for some time, before a tailor's wife upset them._

_**Klabautermann**__ – A form of 'domestic' kobold that has bound itself to the service of a ship. The creature's magic makes them invisible to non-magicals unless the ship is doomed on the voyage, turning them into an omen of disaster despite their tendency to work in concert with the ship's crew._

_**Knocker – **__Kobolds native to Cornwall, Devon, and Wales are often called this. The native population is one that is known to have been willing to move and a large group of them moved to the United States. There they are often times known more as Tommyknockers, to differentiate them from kobolds that have emigrated from mainland Europe. As a result it's believed that there are in fact more Knockers present in the United States then in England these days. Their name is derived from the knocking sound made by them as they work deep in the mines._

_**Kofewalten**__ – Kobolds of Southern Germany, essentially the local tribal name. A number of these supposedly fought alongside Grindelwald during the Second World War._

_**OTHER GERMAN CREATURES:**_

_I mentioned two other German creatures in the chapter, so I should explain them… German mythology is an interesting thing to utilize, as it tends to have a different point of view on some things, and very little is 'nice'._

_**Nachtkrappen **__– A humanoid raven-like creature, very similar to the traditional idea of the Tengu in Japan. The German Ministry of magic is never sure how to classify them, as they're considered both highly intelligent and dangerous. Some reports indicate they mercilessly attack those that intrude upon their territories in the Black Forest, going so far as to attack and kill children. Others indicate that those reports were made by the Nachtkrappen themselves as a ploy to convince humans to leave them alone._

_**Nachtzehreren –**__ Vampires from the south are considered terrifying by most, but the Nachtzehreren is in a league of its own. It is a psychic vampire, capable of devouring the life energy of a person just by looking it in the eyes and unencumbered by many of the traditional weaknesses of its kind. Grindelwald convinced many of these immortal beings to aid him in his struggle for global domination._

_**CREATURES THAT LIVE AT HOGWARTS BUT WEREN'T MENTIONED**_

_When I went through the various mythologies, I stumbled on a number of creatures that would very likely call the Castle of Hogwarts or the areas around it home. These are creatures you can expect Harry and the gang to encounter at some point._

_**Bauchan**__ – A Scottish goblin-like creature capable of assuming the shape of a goat, and has a tendency to haunt a wizard using and drawing magical power from their companion. Many wizards develop a love/hate relationship with any bauchan that haunts them as they tend to be helpful but mischievous._

_Hmm… who do we know with an unhealthy fascination with goats?_

_**Brownie **__– Technically, this creature is mentioned… just by another name. The Scottish Brownie is the House-Elf. Each draws their magic from the magic cast within the house they've bonded with normally. Originally they were a nuisance to wizards until they were enslaved by forcing the creature's to be magically bound to the house's owner. A freed brownie can draw power from any home they reside in or choose to bind themselves to._

_**Bugbear – **__A dark creature, the bugbear is a form of twisted combination of goblin and faerie traits. Standing approximately seven feet tall, the bugbear features long pointed ears and a long pointed face like a bear's. Its hair is scraggly and ragged, but covers most of its body. They are malevolent and violent to an extreme, and are known to actively hunt children. A small tribe has long existed in the depths of the Forbidden Forest._

_**Knucker**__ – A small sea serpent or water dragon, most reports of the creature come from the area around Sussex in England. Despite this, many of the reports of loch monsters match that of a small sea serpent. A number of these creatures have made their home in the lake at Hogwarts._

_**Lavellan**__ – A poisonous rodent that resembles an extremely large shrew or vole, the droppings of the Lavellan are so toxic that they can destroy an entire field of crops or poison cattle within a hundred yards. Despite this, Lavellan are prized by potioners and healers. Their skin has powerful healing properties which can be captured by collecting water poured over it. At the same time, the liver and bladder of the creature are extremely useful in the creation of poisons._

_Hagrid regularly hunts Lavellan to keep the forest clear of their toxins. The bodies are then given to Snape who harvests them for potions ingredients, in the process their skins are treated and sent to the hospital wing for use by Madam Pomfrey._

_**Merrow**__ – Like the Brownie, the Merrow is mentioned by another name. The merrow is the Scottish mermaid. With a body more akin to a salmon's then the beautiful oceanic mermaid, their whole bodies are scaled giving them a truly aquatic appearance._

_**Selkie –**__ A shapeshifter, the Selkie is a highly intelligent magical creature capable of assuming humanoid form by shedding their skin. In such a state they appear to be grey skinned humans with dark eyes and black hair. In their natural state a selkie resembles a human clad in a black wet suit from the waist up. From the waist down they appear to be a seal._

_They are a playful people, and a sizeable colony lives within Hogwart's lake. Unlike the merfolk that live deep in the lake, the selkie live on the loch's rocky northern shore, surrounded by high cliffs and inaccessible except by broom or swimming most of the lake's length. Despite this, it is not uncommon for young selkies to play with swimmers or younger students on the grounds._


End file.
